Blood & Chlorophyll Ch. 02

The “Becoming Monsters” LitRPG setting was originally created by AiLoves, and is now managed by OtterlyMindblowing.

—

Earlier that day

Soft, elegant pillars of moonlight drifted down from the sky, dancing through a blanket of leaves before settling on the ground below. An owl hooted in the distance, and several bats hurriedly flew from perch to perch as they hunted for food. As time passed, the moon began to fade, and the sky slowly transitioned from a comforting veil of darkness to the vibrant pastels of dawn.

A sea of orange swept across the horizon, the earliest rays of sunlight dancing off a river of morning dew. Birds began to wake, squirrels prepared to scurry, and flowers eagerly awaited their chance to bloom. Of all the magnificent creatures to feel the sun’s warmth, however, the first was the enormous tree that stood near the center of Primrose Acres.

This tree wasn’t noteworthy just for its size, although at nearly sixty feet tall, it certainly towered over everything else in the subdivision. It was strikingly unique compared to every other tree nearby; the generic Chicago suburb had previously favored the simple Oak, but this tree was a magnificent Cherry Blossom. Its healthy canopy of lush, green leaves were almost entirely eclipsed by the brilliant pink flowers that bloomed atop them. Petals from these flowers continuously broke free and floated to the ground, forming an elegant apron on the surrounding land.

The massive trunk of this tree split into several powerful branches, each one continuing to fractal off before ending with a bouquet of leaves and flowers. Most unusual of all was how frequently this tree blossomed. Traditional Cherry Blossom trees usually grew their signature pink flowers in late spring, the cycle normally lasting only a few weeks. This particular tree, however, continued to flower for almost the entire year. Even now, at the start of August, its brilliant pink blooms still continued to grow and scatter on the autumn winds.

The Cherry Blossoms placement was also rather curious. To an outside observer, it would appear that a simple, two-story house had been built partially around it, but the truth was quite the opposite. The house pre-dated the tree by several decades, but four years ago, the tree had sprung up overnight. An entire front corner of the house had been destroyed, replaced by the impressively large trunk of this tree, and many of its branches had pushed through the walls and roof of the house. In only a few minutes, the tree had gone from non-existent to being the biggest thing in the neighborhood.

With the light of dawn now breaking, the various creatures that called this particular tree home began to wake. They rose from their nests, crawled free from their burrows and, in Alicia’s case, walked out of the trunk itself. The bark behind her left no trace of the departure, as the two entities were one and the same.

Stepping out of the tree, Alicia stretched her arms high before attempting to wake the rest of her body. The joints of her lithe figure occasionally snapped and popped, though the sounds resembled the creaking of an ancient tree rather than those of any human. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling free a few loose petals from the flowers that grew there, and let them fall to the ground.

“Good morning!” she said happily, greeting the world as it woke.

She took off down her front lawn, slowly drawing lines with her feet in the blanket of leaves and flower petals beneath her. She felt the powerful roots of her Heart Tree thrumming beneath her, giving her life, and she smiled in its presence.

Her morning walk was peaceful, as always. She meandered down the street, checking in on her neighbors while slowly making her way to a nearby river.

Stopping at the house next door, she wandered into the yard and crouched down. “How was your night? You still have enough compost little buddy?” she asked. The intricate fungal network didn’t acknowledge her in any way, but she could tell that it had everything it needed to continue thriving. “Just make sure you don’t get too close to me, alright? Us neighbors have to respect the property lines.”

Her next stop was across the street, and another two houses down. “Oh, look how big you’re getting! I remember when you were only a little collection of sticks, but your leaves are looking so healthy now!” The oak sapling in front of her was now close to her height, which made her incredibly proud. She’d replanted it several years ago and was pleased it was taking so well.

“Have your neighbors been behaving themselves? We both know how aggressive those rose bushes can be.” The sapling continued to say nothing. “No, that’s a good point, they have every right to be here. Still, make sure you play nice, alright?”

A few paces later, at the edge of the neighboring property, sat the rose bushes in question. “You hear that? If you don’t behave yourself I’ll have to take drastic measures, and nobody wants that.”

Wandering back to the street, she directed her attention to the asphalt underneath her and paused to examine it.

Well, what was left of it.

Huge sections of the previously paved road had been completely upended through years of hard work. Large roots, as well as dense collections of weeds and vines, had broken through and restored nature’s grasp on the ground around Alicia’s house. In the weeks following the Change, she’d often felt like the concrete and asphalt were suffocating her, but her efforts over the years had managed to alleviate that feeling.

At the end of the street, crossing several blocks and many of the lawns, sat a small river. This was another of Alicia’s creations, something she’d rerouted to give herself easier access to fresh water. She sat down on its banks, dipping her legs in the babbling brook, and sighed in relief.

Closing her eyes, she smiled as the warmth of the morning sun washed over her. Its light lingered on her skin, but she could also feel the sun’s rays on the leaves of her Heart Tree. Not only did it feel amazing, but as a Dryad, the light itself was literally breakfast. Even without checking her Status, she could feel her SP gradually refilling, and every chloroplast in her body sang with joy as warmth flooded through her.

In the riverbed, small roots began to extend from Alicia’s feet, digging into the ground as she absorbed the water from the soil. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and let herself get lost in the sun.

Two hours passed before she finally opened her eyes. She’d been awake the whole time, but ever since the Change, time seemed to pass differently for her. Up in the sky, the clouds had shifted dramatically, and she knew it was time to head home. Unfortunately, even though she didn’t need food or water anymore, she still had bills to pay. After grabbing the watering can next to her and filling it, she took off once more.

She took a different route back, letting herself wander down a side street to check on some of her other projects. This street had been hit especially hard the night of the Change, and most of the houses had been destroyed. Thankfully, she’d managed to inspire the local plant life to overtake the rubble, and when she had the time, she tried to move some of the destruction to the local dump. Garbage trucks didn’t run here anymore, which she appreciated, but it certainly made cleaning up a little frustrating.

As she wandered from house to house, humming small tunes to herself, she made sure to water the many flowers that had started living here ever since that fateful night. Once she made it home, she lovingly placed a hand on her Heart Tree before stepping inside it again. The wood bent to her will and let her glide higher before she emerged on the other side, now inside the remains of her old bedroom.

She’d been asleep the night of the Change, her bed pushed into the outer corner of her room, which had thankfully minimized the damage her Heart Tree had caused when it sprouted. The bed had been destroyed, but as she didn't need it anymore, she hardly minded. What remained were a few personal effects, old clothes she hadn’t touched in years, and her computer desk.

In her past life, it had been hard to spend even a few minutes away from the internet. It had allowed her to stay in touch with distant friends, it let her discuss her favorite books with other enthusiastic fans, and given her unlimited access to all her favorite shows. Now? Now she spent as little time as possible online, and mostly only used the computer to work. She’d been lucky enough to find a remote job with a new government office, one that monitored compliance for the many new Racial guidelines being codified every day.

She pulled up her chair, crossed her legs, and turned on her computer. As she started opening the various programs she needed, she caught a quick glance of her search history from the previous few days.

How do dungeons work

How do dungeons form

Can new dungeons appear

How dangerous are dungeons

The dryad shook her head. “Now’s not the time to worry about that, Alicia.” She reluctantly logged into her work software and punched in.

She checked in with her boss, read through all the new emails, and finally reached out to her first client. Her job often entailed explaining compliance violations, and helping business owners find the resources needed to bring their establishments up to code. Unfortunately, this often meant dealing with irate cheapskates trying to cut costs by avoiding adding Races to their workforce.

“Sir, while your employees did have the keys to the building, that’s not the issue. The two workers in question are both considered Fey, and ORC guidelines clearly state that all Fey creatures are magically compelled to avoid iron at all costs. They weren’t stuck inside because of a locked door, they were stuck inside because the push bars are made of iron, effectively blocking their exit.”

The voice on the other end of the line was not amused.

“No, you don’t necessarily have to change the mechanism. If another entrance is Fey accessible, then you can leave these doors alone.”

“…”

“Yes, I understand how this might be an unexpected cost, but it will help bring your establishment up to code. Plus, you’ll be able to attract more Fey employees and customers!”

“…”

“Yes, I suppose you could let those employees go. If you wanted to do that, I’d also recommend hiring a lawyer, as I now have recorded proof that you’re attempting to fire someone based entirely on their Race, and the courts aren’t going to like that.”

“…”

“Sir, if you’re going to raise your voice, it’s going to be difficult to have a productive conversation.”

“…”

“Well, personally, I think the cheapest route would be to install a new door. It sounds like you’ve misplaced your ORC Handbook, but I can email you another copy if you like. It contains a slew of helpful information to assist you in updating your business to be more Race friendly.”

“…”

“I’m happy we could come to an understanding, thank you for your time.”

Alicia hung up the phone, then placed her headset back on her desk. “Ugh, last call of the day, finally!” She leaned back, stretching out her stiff back again before turning off her computer. She walked back to her Heart Tree, melded into it once more, and floated back to the ground. She paused before leaving, however, as something caught her attention.

The roots of her Heart Tree extended underneath a huge swath of land, though she’d never measured just how expansive her root system was. She tended to assume the roots covered at least three times the area of her canopy, which was already massive. Due to her connection, she could feel just about everything that moved near those roots. She was aware of the family of moles that lived a few blocks down, she knew about the many ant colonies that had sprouted up recently, and she had long ago memorized the composition of the ground in her neighborhood.

Nature tended to move slowly, which is why Alicia had been caught off guard by the sudden seismic activity several weeks ago. In the middle of the night, large collections of her roots had gone from being safely immersed in the ground, to being exposed to open air. While she didn’t understand how, a large series of caves and caverns had appeared underneath Primrose Acres, and she was fairly sure it was a dungeon.

She knew nothing about dungeons, and she didn’t care to find out more. The delving lifestyle had never appealed to her, and even if it had, she doubted she would be able to spend much time away from her Heart Tree.

A shiver ran through her as she felt footsteps on her roots. Monsters roaming the dungeon without purpose, aimlessly shuffling back and forth as they looked for enemies to engage with. They didn’t seem to fight each other, which she appreciated, but she was scared of what they represented. What would happen when delvers learned about this place? What would happen if the monsters started wandering outside the dungeon?

The feeling faded, the monsters now off in a different room that she wasn’t connected with, and she sighed in relief. She was safe, for now at least, but she couldn’t keep waiting forever.

Which was unfortunate, because waiting came so naturally to her.

The last few weeks had been spent looking for the entrance, but so far, she hadn't found anything. She had first assumed the search would be quick, since her roots traveled through several of the rooms, but that knowledge hadn't led anywhere. The room that felt closest to the surface was roughly a ten-minute walk south of her house, but every trip she made south had yielded no results. She'd dug through rubble, asked the local plants for help, but the dungeon stayed hidden despite all her efforts.

Today, she instead decided to continue checking in on her other projects. She had no idea where else to look, and after a particularly frustrating day at work, she wasn't thrilled about the prospect of another several hours of disappointment. She finally let herself step out of her Tree and started towards her next task.

While Alicia's mornings were often spent checking in on projects that needed more attention, such as daily watering or pruning, she liked to spend her afternoons jumping between her multiple long-term projects. Today, for instance, she'd resolved to check on the reservoir that fed her river. It was a longer walk, roughly a few miles west, but it was good to walk the length of the river once a month or so. In the past, the river had dried up a few times, and she was always hunting for possible problems to prevent that from repeating.

The peaceful walk was only an hour, and thankfully everything seemed in order. She made note of a few bends in the river that might benefit from some restructuring, but nothing else jumped out at her.

The next item on today's agenda was a house several blocks north of her home. Several years before the Change, someone had bought up the shabby split-level that had previously occupied the lot and replaced it with a pretentious manor. Elegant brick walls, a garage meant to hold far too many cars, and a whole slew of expensive decorations. On the night of the change, the unfortunate owner had transformed into a dragon, destroying most of the house instantly.

All the valuables in the house had been picked clean years ago, but that wasn’t why Alicia was here. As a newer piece of construction, this plot of land had a significant amount of fresh concrete, and its presence had been a constant thorn in her side.

Over the last year, she’d been asking the local foliage to creep into the house, break its foundation, and loosen things up enough for her to dispose of everything. It was the same process she used to disrupt all the streets, except the concrete poured for this house had proved significantly more resilient than the cheap asphalt the city had used to pave the roads.

She hadn't visited the house since late June, and she was eager to see what progress had been made in her absence. Now standing on the edge of the property, Alicia let her roots dig deep into the ground and got to work. To an outside observer, it would appear as if the dryad were standing completely still, doing absolutely nothing. In actuality, she was working hard to find weak points in the concrete, to urge all the local weeds to keep pushing for entry. She was, according to the Status, literally One With Nature, which meant it was easy to impose her will on all the plant life around her.

The basement had been a particular sticking point. Weeds and vines had started working their way into several corners, but she also had to contend with all the layers of insulation and flooring. Today, happily enough, she was excited to sense that some of the local plants had finally broken through into the open air of the basement. She checked in with them, making sure everyone was still happy and healthy, when she suddenly froze in fear.

There was something in the basement. She could feel footsteps reverberating through the concrete, and after a minute, something heavy stepped on one of her intrusive roots.

It was far too large to be the local wildlife.

Swallowing nervously, she uprooted herself and ran to the entrance of the house. She had previously cleared a route to the basement, originally meant to have a path to clear away the rubble she hoped to create, but now she found herself on the defensive. She stepped carefully, inching down into the dark cellar, when she finally heard something.

A low, rumbling growl. A footstep, followed by a strange shuffling noise. Once she was close enough, Alicia peaked around the corner and gasped.

Ahead of her, on the far wall of the basement, a large tunnel had been created. It seemed oddly purposeful, as if someone had long ago tried to start a mine here, and she knew she'd found the entrance to the dungeon. The composition of the walls didn't match the surrounding terrain, and a series of wall sconces appeared ready to hold the torches of potential delvers.

In front of the dungeon, now turning to face her, stood a lone monster. It appeared to be a zombie, looking as if it had crawled directly out of an old 80’s movie. It stepped closer, one foot dragging behind it, as it growled in anger.

In a panic, Alicia ran back up the stairs. She turned towards the basement, breathed deep, and summoned a wall of bark and vines to block off the passageway. It might not be permanent, and it certainly felt odd to be using a class ability after four years of ignoring them entirely, but it seemed to work.

She flinched as the zombie struck the barrier, hoping it would hold. It attacked a second time, then a third, before it seemed to lose interest and walk away. She waited for a minute, then several more, before finally releasing the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

Wait, I just used a Class Feature, didn't I?

Unsure what to expect, Alicia decided to check her stats.

“Status!”

—

General Information

Name: Alicia Davenport

Race: Dryad

HP: 80%

SP: 87%

MP: 100%

—

Attributes

STR: 12

END: 13 (+2)

DEX: 9

AGI: 10

INT: 11

WIS: 15 (+2)

CHA: 12

LCK: 9

PER: 15

HLT: 17 (+4)

—

Racial Features

Heart Tree (Cherry Blossom)

Solar Regeneration

One With Nature

Seeds Of Life

—

Class

Bulwark

Level: 1

Progress: 15%

—

Class Features

—

“Fifteen percent?!” Alicia gasped. She hadn't made any class progress since the Change, and had long ago given up on it ever happening. Still, if the only way to gain progress was to see her home invaded by monsters, she would much rather stay at Level one.

She looked up at the sky and realized the sun was significantly closer to setting. She could already feel its warmth beginning to fade, and she knew it was time to wrap up.

She walked slowly, her thoughts spinning as she tried to think of a plan.

“Well, if nothing else, that monster seemed pretty weak, and it will be easy to block off the staircase. I might actually be able to ignore this!”

As she walked home, she found herself in significantly better spirits than she had expected. Sure, being attacked hadn't been an item on her bucket list, but the placement of the dungeon entrance seemed promising.

She yawned as the sun started dipping beneath the horizon, the lack of its warmth already affecting her. Some of the flowers near her house were already closing for the night, and she could feel several birds and squirrels settling in as they prepared to go to sleep. When she finally made it back to her Heart Tree, she eagerly merged with it again and drifted off to sleep.

—

Alicia woke with a start several hours later. She knew it wasn’t daytime yet, the familiar warmth of the sun was still absent, so something else must have shaken her awake.

That’s when she felt it again, something moving around her main trunk. As she tried to focus on where it was coming from, she felt one of her sturdier branches shift downwards, and it was clear it was now supporting something. It felt much heavier than an animal, and she feared it might be a dungeon monster. Moving quickly, the dryad shifted through her Heart Tree until she’d found the source of the commotion.

As she peeked her face out of the trunk, she was pleased to find the source of the commotion wasn't a monster. It was a woman nestled up against one of her main branches. She wasn’t just a woman, though; she had to be the most gorgeous woman Alicia had ever seen.

This stranger wore casual clothes and was sitting with one leg hanging off the branch, yet it looked like she were in the middle of posing for a magazine cover. Her incredibly pale skin was completely flawless, which led to every one of her striking features being accentuated by comparison. Her hands were perfectly manicured, and her off hand casually tapped her thigh as she relaxed. Her tank top did little to hide her impressive bust, and Alicia couldn’t help but marvel at how much more well-endowed this stranger was when compared to her. Her pale face radiated confidence, and as Alicia watched, the stranger’s mouth opened to start drinking some kind of juice.

Unusually, her two canine teeth seemed quite long. As the dryad kept watching, she also noticed that this stranger’s eyes were bright red and glowing intensely. The juice she was drinking, Alicia finally realized, wasn’t juice at all, but blood.

She was looking at a vampire.

She’d never seen one in person before. Actually, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen anyone in person for the last three years. Some distant instinct of hers urged her to be afraid, but for some reason she felt completely enraptured by this stranger.

The vampire took a deep drink of her blood, closing her eyes in pleasure as her body seemed to warm slightly. She smiled as she pulled the pouch away, then unlocked her phone and started scrolling.

For the next several minutes, the vampire occasionally took small sips of her blood while continuing to surf the internet. After a while, she turned the phone off and set it down on her lap, then leaned back against her perch with a heavy sigh. There was a sense of longing in her deep, crimson eyes, as if she were looking for something just out of sight.

When she finally shook herself back to her senses, a soft breeze had begun sweeping through the neighborhood. All the branches in Alicia’s canopy began to sway, their peaceful sounds threatening to lull the dryad back to sleep, but she didn’t dare turn away from this magnificent creature in front of her. The vampire reached out for a nearby branch, her hand softly tracing its leaves and flowers, and Alicia shivered.

Her hands are so soft, so gentle… How long has it been since I’ve felt like this?

As the breeze faded, the vampire’s eyes seemed to focus on a spot above Alicia. Actually, they were looking at her hair, and they kept traveling down until the two girls locked eyes with each other. Alicia felt the vampire flinch in surprise, her breath catching, and the dryad finally dared to speak.

“What are you doing in my tree?”

—

We finally get to meet our other lead! If the title hadn't clicked yet, I trust it all makes sense now. We even get some hints at where this story might be heading! I've got a lot of fun plans, and hopefully I'll be able to continue at a pace of two chapters a month, but I'll certainly keep you all updated if that's ever not the case. Don't forget that there are many other stories set in this universe, and if you want to find those you can— Oh c'mon, are you serious?

"Wow, Katrina was right, you really need to clean this desk up."

You're not a Bard, why are you here?

"And she said the audience was... ah, here we are. Hi guys! I'm Alicia! Like Nyx said, I'm not a Bard, but Katrina insisted that we keep sharing music with you all. I wanted to recommend the song of the goldfinch that lives in one of my branches, but she said that doesn't count. So, today's recommendation is "12 Grandes études: IV. Cantabile" by Adriano Sebastiani. Katrina says 'This song is perfect for Alicia's debut. It starts with a jaunty melody, but there are hints of unrest sitting just under the surface, with the song taking a surprisingly somber downturn at the end.' Looks like Nyx already has the link, too. See you guys next time!"

Sigh. I guess this is my life now? The link is below, as usual!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtdJYpgT1v8

Nyx <3