Rough Draft - Blood & Chlorophyll Ch. 05

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” Alicia said. “The Chicago Dungeon is miles away, we’re way out in the suburbs. How could there possibly be an entrance here?”

Katrina set her guitar case down, opening it up to pull out her guitar. “It’s a little complicated. Every dungeon works differently. They all have unique quirks, and sometimes entire guilds will relocate just because their abilities are better suited to a different dungeon. Some are incredibly deadly, some practically feel like tutorials. Supposedly the one in Seattle randomly spawns portals all over the city, so monsters can escape at a moment’s notice.”

With her guitar sitting comfortably in her lap, she began playing a soft melody. “I’m gonna give you some HP regen while we talk, by the way.”

Alicia nodded without saying anything. Katrina felt the familiar notes of her music echo out, but she also felt a new sensation, one she hadn’t felt in years. The magic of her Bard class, flowing through her music, letting her Inspiring Performance wash over the Dryad and start to sooth her pains.

“Anyways, Dungeons are separated into different floors, and each dungeon has different rules about how you get to the deeper levels. Sometimes it’s as easy as finding a staircase, but sometimes it’s not. The Chicago Dungeon requires a key for every level, but it will spawn that key in a random place outside of the main Dungeon. When delvers find a blocked off staircase, it has a short riddle hinting towards the location of the key. Delvers need to find that location, then complete a very short mini-dungeon waiting for them, and they get the key as a reward.”

“And these mini-dungeons can spawn this far away from the city?”

“Apparently, they can. I’ve never heard of any this far away before.”

“Wait. So you’re saying that every single Guild, and every single Delver, is desperately looking for this Dungeon?” Alicia stood up, beginning to pace as panic set in. “This is terrible! I don’t want Guilds coming out here! What if they damage my roots while they’re delving?!”

Katrina’s melody turned dark, unsettling tones beginning to reverberate through the neighborhood. “It’s… worse than you think, Alicia. Finding a Key is a big deal, and Guilds are pretty ruthless about trying to find them. For the last dozen floors, give or take, every Key has been found by the most powerful Guild in the City: Ashes to Ashes. They’re notoriously cutthroat, and they didn’t pick their name because of its religious connotations. They picked it because the Guild Leader, Dominic Tarkowski, is one of the strongest Pyrotechnicians in the country. His battle strategy is horribly simplistic; turn everything in the Dungeon to ash.”

“No! We can’t them in!” Alicia shouted, panic setting in.

The music stopped, and Katrina set down her guitar. She stood quickly, grabbing Alicia’s shoulders to try and steady her. “Hey, listen to me. I won’t let that happen. We have options.”

“What can we do? If they get in, I… I might die, Katrina. I don’t know if I could survive that much destruction.”

Without thinking, Katrina pulled the Dryad in and hugged her tight. “The City has rules in place, various protections to stop any one Guild from monopolizing the Delving process. One of those rules states that whoever finds the mini-dungeon gets exclusive access for a few weeks. If we go to the main camp, we can claim this dungeon as our own.”

Alicia hugged her back, squeezing tight. Katrina could feel the stress in her body, and it felt painfully familiar; the fear of losing yourself, of not being able to survive in this new world.

“B-but… doesn’t that mean we have to delve? To beat this mini-dungeon on our own?” Alicia said, stuttering slightly.

“Well, it’s that or try to partner with an established Guild, someone other than Ashes to Ashes. If we try to do that, though, I guarantee we’re going to be hearing from their leader, and he won’t have kind words to say.”

“Even if we find a good Guild, I won’t be there myself…” Alicia pulled back, starting to think aloud. “If we wanted to do this, what would it take?”

Katrina grabbed her guitar again, restarting her Inspiration. “Bare minimum? We need other people to delve with us. Neither of us can deal any damage, and the only healing we have is my Regen buff, but that’s not going to help in a fight. After that, it would be great if we could get better equipment, maybe some potions, but… I’m kinda living paycheck to paycheck.”

“I might have some savings, though I haven’t checked in a while. What else?”

“I mean, the biggest thing is practice. We don’t know how to delve, and we’re really low leveled. If we practice with each other, we might be able to gain a level or two, but that strategy falls off almost entirely after like, Level Four.”

Alicia looked at Katrina, surprised. “We can level by fighting each other? I thought you had to fight monsters?”

“Monsters can give experience, but that’s not the only way. If it were, everyone with a non-combat class would be incredibly underpowered. For the most part, you gain experience by using your Class Abilities, whatever they might be. I’m probably getting some right now, since I’m Inspiring you, and you probably got some from blocking those attack.”

“Status!” Alicia said quickly. “Wow, I’m at 62%, that’s crazy!”

“Thankfully, the low levels can be easy to escape, which will definitely work to our advantage.” Katrina checked her own status briefly and couldn’t help but smile as she did. For the first time in years, her experience numbers had changed. She was now up to 11%, and her mana was slowly ticking down as she kept up her Inspiring Performance.

“But, Alicia… there’s one other thing.” Katrina said softly. “Are you sure you trust me with this? We’ve only just met, and we know basically nothing about each other.”

“That’s not true! I know you love delving, and that you’re frustrated about your job. I know the blood shortage is hitting you hard, and that you’re scared to be around other people. Well, people with blood, I should say. I don’t know if this sounds silly, but… you seem like someone worth knowing. And someone worth trusting.” The Dryad’s cheeks turned red as she finished talking, and she quickly diverted her gaze away from Katrina.

I wish I could believe that, Alicia, I really do.

“That’s… really sweet, but I’m serious. Even though you don’t have blood, my Race is practically precision designed to be a honeytrap. All Vampires have inherently high Charisma, because it’s one of the best ways for us to… y’know. Hunt.”

Alicia moved closer, kneeling in front of Katrina before speaking. “Look, I don’t have a lot of practice being around people. To be honest, I haven’t seen anyone in person, other than you, for the last three years. Are you insanely beautiful? Yeah, obviously, but if that’s all you were, I wouldn’t be as interested as I am. I like hearing you talk, and seeing you get excited about delving, and that’s why I’m trusting you with this.”

This time, Katrina felt her own cheeks blushing as she processed everything Alicia had just said. “Wait, you’re… interested in me?”

“I-I just meant… like, y’know, you’re very interesting, and fun to be around, but like, in a normal way, and… God, I sound like an idiot, don’t I? Can we forget I said anything?” Alicia nervously played with her hair, and as she did, additional cherry blossoms bloomed.

Katrina stopped her music, reaching out to grab Alicia’s hands. “Alicia. I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe, and to keep the Guilds out of this Dungeon. We’ll need to act fast, though. Can you come to the city with me tomorrow night?”

Alicia returned the Vampire’s determined gaze. “If I sleep in, I can try to meet you just after sunset. Which stop is yours?”

“I can meet you at Central. I think it’s the fourth stop? Fifth? Something like that. Are you going to be okay that far from your Heart Tree?”

A flicker of doubt appeared in Alicia’s eyes, but she quickly tried to hide it. “I’ve never been that far before, so it’s hard to say. But, no matter what, this has to happen, and I want to be there for it.”

With the plan set, Katrina began packing up her guitar. She watched as Alicia glanced back towards the Dungeon, apprehension on her face. Katrina couldn’t help but steal a look at her potential delving partner, and for the first time she realized how cute Alicia was. Katrina had been so wrapped up in her own paranoia that she’d missed it earlier, but the Dryad had an incredibly attractive body. Of course, it didn’t help that she was almost naked, but Katrina suddenly felt a twinge of excitement over the prospect of spending more time with her new friend. As soon as she realized what she was thinking, however, her feelings were replaced with guilt.

This isn’t a game; Alicia’s Heart Tree could be seriously damaged if we mess up. I have the knowledge to help, but I can’t let myself get distracted by the novelty of it all.

The girls walked back to Alicia’s place, nervous tension filling the air. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess. Can I give you my phone number?” Katrina asked.

“Oh! Um, yeah, gimme a sec.” Alicia quickly ran back to her tree, phasing inside. After a few moments, and several noticeable noises from things being dropped in the house, the front door opened and the Dryad came out. “Sorry, my house is a mess, I’m never inside anymore.”

Katrina took the pen and paper, taking great care to write her number clearly. She handed it back, then floated to the skies to take her leave. “Goodnight, Alicia. I realize this is a little stressful, but… I’m happy I came back.” She flew off, but paused after a few seconds to turn around. “Oh, and, for what it’s worth… you’re really pretty, too.”

Before Alicia could say anything, Katrina caught herself blushing and flew off.

—

Despite her intentions, Alicia still woke with the sun the following morning. Thankfully, it was easy to get back to sleep, as she was both tired and sore from last night’s excursion. Another few hours passed, and soon enough her alarm started blaring from inside the house.

It was a strange sensation, waking to an alarm for the first time in years. Her body responded so strongly to sunlight that, when the Change hit, her entire sleep schedule had been altered in mere days. However, after braving the entrance of a dungeon, and almost losing half her health to a monster attack, she’d been eager for the extra sleep.

Now awake, she drifted through her Heart Tree towards her bedroom, then stepped out slowly. Her body felt stiff, and a quick check of her status revealed she wasn’t at max health yet. A full night’s sleep had definitely helped, as had Katrina’s Inspiration, but she would likely need another day or two to fully recover.

She stumbled to her desk, not to turn on her computer, but to check her phone. She’d managed to find it last night and had plugged it in to be ready for today’s adventure. It was finally fully charged, and she was able to power it up and begin yet another trip down memory lane. The first thing she did was open her contacts and create an entry for Katrina; the last thing she wanted to do was lose the Vampire’s number.

“Oh, and, for what it’s worth… you’re really pretty, too.”

Had Katrina really said that? Even now, less than twelve hours later, she could barely believe what she’d heard. Those words had endlessly repeated themselves in Alicia’s head last night, up until the moment she had fallen asleep. It was like being at a movie premiere, and watching her favorite actress pull her in front of the cameras and insist she was a star. She couldn’t compare to Katrina, and yet… she’d called her pretty. Did it mean anything? Was she just being polite?

Those questions, and nothing else, consumed Alicia’s thoughts for the rest of the day. They repeated themselves to every plant she watered, she asked her reflection in the river when she took her morning drink. She was so distracted that she was even late for work, though thankfully ORC had incredibly flexible attendance requirements.

After a full day of frustrating phone calls, it was finally time to prepare for her journey into the city. She grabbed her phone, tucking it into a makeshift pocket she grew in the foliage around her waist, then paused.

I need more than a phone, right?

Another lap through her bedroom eventually yielded her old purse, and inside she found her wallet. Her ID technically hadn’t expired yet, but she’d never updated it after the Change. Still, it was better than nothing.

She couldn’t think of anything else she might need, and finally decided to head out. The walk to the train station was incredibly familiar, if only because she had the entire neighborhood memorized after years of landscaping. She tended to avoid the inside of the station, though she’d visited a few times when she’d needed to order items online. As she walked up the steps, she could feel the cold, lifeless concrete beneath her feet, and it made her shudder.

Her phone indicated she still had a few minutes left for the next train to come through, and she spent the time preparing. The revamped train system had an integrated app, through which she could buy tickets and check schedules, but it also had additional information about which train cars had different Racial accommodations.

The ground started rumbling, and Alicia heard a small screech as brakes began to engage, and soon enough she was staring at the doors of the train. With a deep breath, she nervously stepped aboard.

She’d previously thought the concrete of the train station had been cold and distant, but that feeling paled in comparison to the metal underneath her feet now. The concrete, if nothing else, still touched the ground, but the train did no such thing. The cold steel of the floor gave way to nothing, just a collection of wheels meant to ferry her to the next stop.

The isolation was oppressive, and her breathing grew tense as soon as the doors closed behind her. This far away from the city, the train was fairly empty, so it was easy to find a seat close to the doors. The ease of access didn’t stop her from almost falling over as the train pulled away from the station, but she managed to catch herself as she collapsed into a seat. She sent a quick text to Katrina, confirming that she’d boarded the train, then started to wait.

Her body tried desperately to look for its Heart Tree, its source of life, but there was nothing to be found. She could feel sweat building on her forehead, pooling in some of the leaves on her body and hair, as she nervously watched her home vanish in the distance.

Did I drink enough today? Am I supposed to be sweating? Is this even sweat? Oh God, I didn’t think this through, I should’ve found, like, a Dryad forum and asked if anyone else has ever travelled this far from their Heart Tree…

The next few stops passed painfully slowly. The only solace to be found was the text she received from Katrina, confirming that she was ready to board at her stop. Alicia occasionally got strange looks from other passengers, but she assumed they simply weren’t used to seeing a Dryad on a train.

When she finally saw Katrina board, it felt like she had been thrown a lifeline after being stranded at sea. The Vampire moved closer, grabbing the seat next to her.

“Hey, how are you holding up?”

Without saying anything, Alicia grabbed Katrina’s arm and held tight. Her breathing, though still erratic, managed to calm down slightly before she found her words. “I can’t feel my tree, it’s like I’m suffocating…”

Katrina’s hands wrapped around hers, squeezing softly. “You’re halfway there already, you can do this.”

They stayed quiet for the rest of the train ride. More and more people filled the car, and Alicia felt Katrina’s grip tighten as the train filled up, but the girls managed to make it to their stop without any incidents. They were the first off the train when the doors opened, Alicia running to return to solid ground. She found her steps to be uneven, however, and she was struggling to even hold herself up at times. Surprisingly, she felt Katrina’s hands grab her waist, supporting her as they moved. Before long, the Vampire had guided her to a gap in the concrete, a tiny patch of land with a tree growing from it, and Alicia collapsed against its bark.

“Alicia! Hey, stay with me, what’s your Status at?” Katrina asked.

“S…status…” Alicia whispered, with just enough force to will the screen into existence in her mind. She was greeted with dire news; she was already at 44% Stamina. Had the train really drained her that much? She’d forgotten to check her stats before she left, so she couldn’t say for sure. Thankfully, as she settled against the comforting embrace of another tree, she could feel her own roots digging deep. They intermingled with the roots of the tree, piggybacking off its energy to establish a connection with her own Heart Tree. It was a shadow of her normal link, but it was better than nothing, and she could already feel herself stabilizing.

She stayed still, doing her best to recover her strength as best she could, eventually managing to open her eyes and look for Katrina. “I think… the worst is past. The train ride took half of my stamina, but it’s already coming back, bit by bit.”

“Dang it, I didn’t bring my guitar. I never bring it with me to the city, but I didn’t even think that I might be able to help you.”

“Hey,” Alicia started, “this isn’t on you. I need to be here, I chose this. I think, if you can help me walk around, I should have enough SP to make it to the camp. No idea if I’ll be able to take the train home, but it’s a start, right?”

The girls locked eyes, Katrina’s red pupils glowing strongly, before she spoke. “Deal. I’ll get you there safely, I promise.”

The Vampire grabbed Alicia’s wrist, then pulled to help her up. “Oh, wait a second,” Alicia said. “I rooted, let me shake those loose.” After a few seconds, she managed to disconnect her roots, and soon she’d found her way to her feet.

“Alright, I just need to…” Katrina’s hand found its way to her waist, but immediately repositioned to hold Alicia’s arm instead. When Alicia looked up, she saw Katrina averting her eyes and blushing heavily.

“Katrina? What’s wrong?” Alicia asked.

“Oh, I just… I’m not gonna lie, I thought you were going to put on some clothes for this.”

“Clothes?” She paused, then immediately realized why everyone had been giving her strange looks on the train. “Oh gosh, I didn’t even think of that! I haven’t been around people in so long, gimme a sec.”

Closing her eyes, Alicia willed the foliage surrounding her body to grow and lengthen, trying to give herself some modesty. Various overlapping fronds, vines, and flowers combined to form something resembling a sundress, and she added some additional bark around her chest to hold everything in place.

“Wow, that’s a neat trick. I wish I could just create any clothes I wanted.” Katrina said, glancing down at her own casual fit.

“Actual clothes are a bit much, and during the daytime I need as much of myself exposed as possible so I can photosynthesize. This is still a bit restrictive, honestly, but… I think it’ll grow on me.”

The girls locked eyes, and Alicia watched as Katrina put together her terrible pun. They both smirked, their smiles widening until they broke into laughter. Alicia let herself lean against her new friend, holding her arm tight, as she let Katrina begin to lead the way to the dungeon camp.

With her Stamina no longer in jeopardy, and the ground beneath her feet, Alicia finally had time to look around. Crowds of people bustled to and fro, people of every shape and size. Many of them were human, but she also saw a fair collection of Races. Birdfolk raced by overhead, flying through the skies wearing something akin to combat armor. She saw a street vendor with a cart of food, currently in the process of selling what looked like a frozen geode to a large Earth Elemental. Dozens of storefronts all competed for her attention, and her gaze came to rest on the shop they were walking in front of. Large windows contained posters of gorgeous models, making Alicia think it was a talent agency, but further inspection revealed it to be a brothel. The door opened, and both girls had to swerve to avoid the Minotaur that walked out, a huge smile plastered on his face.

As they started moving down the street, she eagerly looked through the windows of every shop they passed. There were stores selling potions, weapons, and armor, as well as stores offering the services of low-level diviners and various other non-combat classes. One that particularly caught her eye was a tattoo parlor boasting that its lead artist was an enchanter who worked through her ink, and Alicia loved the art she saw on display.

“Katrina, are we near the camp? A lot of these businesses look like they’re run by higher leveled people.”

“We’re very close. The camp itself is meant for more immediate services, but also has lots of room for the different Guilds to establish small outposts. The surrounding streets, where we are now, are normally where you find all the shops and whatnot. Quite a few delvers work here when they’re not in the Dungeon, and many of these shops are actually sponsored by Guilds. It can be extremely helpful to have an Enchanter or an Alchemist on your payroll.”

Alicia wanted desperately to explore the area, to walk around in all the different shops and see what they had for sale, but she knew they were here with a purpose. She could also feel Katrina’s grip on her arm tensing occasionally, and she tried to remind herself that the crowds were likely tempting her hunger. Looking up, she saw Katrina’s face was cold and tense. She was breathing through her mouth, leaving her fangs on display, and her eyes were glowing bright.

The Vampire realized she was being watched, and the girls locked eyes before she spoke. “Everything okay, Alicia?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, but what about you?” Alicia asked.

“I’m… I’ll manage. Still, the quicker we do this, the better.”

The Dryad frowned, wishing there were something she could do to make this easier, but she couldn’t think of anything. She continued to rack her brain, recalling hundreds of hours of ORC training, to think of anything she might be able to do to help.

I don’t have any blood to give her, but maybe I can distract her somehow? Something to keep her mind occupied?

“So, Katrina, what spells are you gonna learn when you hit Level Three? Do Bards like, choose from a list or something?”

“Bards actually get a lot of say over which spells they get. Once I have Spellcasting available, I can kind of make whatever I want, within reason. Ideally, I’d love to focus on utility, and be a bit of a Jane-Of-All-Trades. Message spells, scans, distractions, things like that. Still, part of the fun would be working together with other Delvers, coordinating your builds, and without a delving group that part’s not there.”

“But you’ll finally get a chance now, right? We might not be in a Guild, but we’re gonna be delving soon!”

Katrina blushed slightly, trying to hide a smile. “I… yes. I know it’s wrong to be excited about this, there’s so many ways it could go wrong for you, but I—”

“Hey, you stop that.” Alicia interrupted. “Both things can be true at once. Just because this is a little scary for me, and there’s admittedly a lot on the line, doesn’t mean we can’t also try to enjoy ourselves a little. I mean, look at where we are! All these shops! All these people, all working together! I understand why you get excited about this stuff.”

“Actually,” Katrina started, “I meant to ask. You’re a Bulwark, but when you summon barriers, they look like they’re made of plants and trees. Aren’t they supposed to be simple, clear sheets of energy?”

“As far as I can tell, it’s a quirk of my Race. I’ve never really looked into it, though.” Alicia readjusted her grip on Katrina’s arm, then realized they were near another small tree. A few flowers had been planted around the base, and she knew she could use another break. “Hey, can we take another quick stop?”

Katrina nodded, and the girls both took a seat. Alicia leaned against the tree, avoiding the flowers, and let the back of her makeshift dress split open. Roots emerged from her body again, digging deep into the earth. It felt as if the soil were hugging her, and she combined her strength with the roots of the tree as she tried to connect with her Heart Tree again. The connection was still incredibly distant, but it was better than nothing. Unfortunately, when she checked her status, she saw she was at 35%.

“Stamina’s still dropping, Katrina. I think… we might need to figure out a creative way to get me home after this. Can we, like, buy a stamina potion or something?”

“We can certainly look. You might have an easier time in the camp, though, it’s mostly grass and dirt, and there are a few bigger trees.”

“Really?” Alicia asked excitedly.

“I mean, did you ever go to Millennium Park before the Change? That’s where the camp is. They’ve added a few temporary buildings, further away from the entrance, but any permanent structures are a bad idea. You never know what might happen around a dungeon, so flexibility is key. We’re actually extremely close, think you’re ready?”

Alicia nodded, shaking loose her roots before letting Katrina help her up. After taking a minute to get comfy, her hands held tight around the Vampire’s arm, they set off again.

True to Katrina’s word, they were only walking for a few minutes before they turned the last corner. The buildings had already been shrinking in size for the last block or two, but as Alicia looked down this new street, she saw them vanish entirely. In front of her stood a large stone archway that marked the entrance of the Dungeon Camp. The sidewalk stopped entirely just past the entrance, and a multitude of well-worn dirt paths snaked away from the entrance. The girls looked at each other, nervous determination filling their eyes, and they stepped over the threshold.

—

Chapter 5! My main concern would be the first scene, there's a lot of pretty technical lore-dumping, and I'm always worried about that. I think it balances nicely against the more character-centric second scene, but please let me know if the transition seems odd at all. Hope you enjoy it!

Nyx <3