Chapter 7.2

When Katrina woke that evening, the sunlight slowly fading, she almost forgot that she’d fallen asleep next to one of Alicia’s flowers. For a brief moment, she almost wondered if she’d somehow shared a bed with the Dryad. Shaking her head, she sat up quickly, the events of last night coming back to her. Being so close with Alicia, holding her waist as they hugged, she almost couldn’t believe how natural it had felt. The feel of Alicia’s skin, the way her deep green skin blushed as she played with her hair, Katrina was almost surprised at how vividly she remembered everything.

She didn’t spare herself time to linger on those thoughts, however. Checking her phone, she saw that several people had responded to her emails and were willing to meet up for a chat. Even better, three of them had made time in their schedule tonight, which meant Katrina needed to hurry so she could catch them before they fell asleep.

She also had a text from Alicia, thanking her for the night out. A warm smile crossed Katrina’s face when she saw it, surprised at the kind gesture. The Dryad seemed oddly excited, given how close she’d come to passing out on the train. It almost seemed like she’d thought last night was a date, but that couldn’t be right, could it? Katrina wasn’t sure what to make of the message, and spent her entire early evening thinking about it.

Grabbing her things, and a fresh ration of blood, she locked her window behind her and headed out.

Her first scheduled appointment was with someone named Elias Lambert. He was registered as a Geomancer, which Katrina thought would be a great class to pair with Alicia’s innate abilities. Elias had provided his home address, and thankfully he was far enough away from Downtown’s restricted airspace that Katrina was able to fly the entire way.

As she traveled, veering slightly south and towards the lakefront, she pulled out her phone and opened Alicia’s contact. She’d just remembered that she’d never responded to the Dryad’s earlier text, despite having read and reread it several times.

Katrina: Glad to help! I’m omw to the first potential delver, he lives out by the lake. If I schedule anything closer to you, do you want to come with?

Alicia: Yes please!!

Katrina: Can do :)

When Katrina finally found Elias’ neighborhood, she immediately noticed how unusual it was. From a distance, it looked like the entire subdivision had flooded, with rivers and ponds scattered all throughout the area. However, as she flew closer, she saw that all these bodies of water seemed to be manmade. They were all sharply defined, snaking through the neighborhood before eventually joining together to form a large river that connected to the lake. When she finally found Elias’ house, it looked more like a boat dock than an actual residence.

The main building was incredibly small, most likely no bigger than a tiny studio apartment. Katrina landed in front of it, found the doorbell, and announced her presence. After a few moments, a speaker above the doorbell activated, and she heard a voice come through.

“Hello?” the voice asked. It was masculine, but certainly sat in a higher register, and whoever was speaking sounded incredibly friendly.

“Um, hi, this is Katrina? I’m looking to speak with Elias?”

“Yes! That’s me, I’m so happy you reached out. Let me get that pesky door opened for you…” Another moment passed, and the door in front of Katrina buzzed, then swung open on its own. “Perfect! I’m waiting inside!”

Katrina hesitated for a moment, staring at the entrance with an intense sense of unease. When she realized Elias was done speaking, she cleared her throat to continue the conversation. “Could you invite me in? I’ve got a Status thing.”

“Shoot, where are my manners!” Elias said through the intercom. “Yes, please come in.”

With those last words, the sense of unease vanished, and Katrina was able to enter the house. Inside, everything was incredibly humid, and she looked around at the strange house she now found herself in. It appeared to be a single story, and the floor had been split down the center; one half of the house had a simple wooden floor, along with some chairs and a small table, while the other half essentially wasn’t there. The floor gave way to open water, with a series of lights both above and under the rippling surface illuminating the environment. At the edge of the water, resting his arms on a small ledge, was presumably Elias.

He had short, light brown hair that appeared much darker due to how wet it was. His face had delicate features that sat atop a strong jawline, and he seemed to be in the middle of attempting to grow out his facial hair.

“Elias Lambert, I presume?” Katrina asked.

“Yup! And you must be Katrina, it’s a pleasure to speak with you in person. I understand you’re looking for unaffiliated delvers?”

“I am, and I appreciate you agreeing to meet me. It’s… not exactly something I feel comfortable sharing over email.” Katrina was now getting used to the humidity, and her senses were starting to smell the blood running through Elias’ veins. He definitely wasn’t human, and she assumed he was some kind of aquatic Race, but couldn’t pinpoint which one.

“Well, I promise that whatever we discuss here won’t leave this house.”

“So, are you familiar with how the Chicago Dungeon works?”

“Absolutely! Each floor has a locked staircase, you need to solve a riddle and find the Key Dungeon before you can pass. I actually heard that someone just solved the riddle, and I can’t help but wonder if your arrival is a coincidence.”

Katrina sat down on a nearby chair, now slightly closer to eye level with her host. “That’s a good guess. You’re right, we’ve found the Key Dungeon, but we’re not delvers. However, the placement of the Dungeon is… sensitive, to say the least, and we don’t trust the Guilds to take proper precautions.”

“Well, Ashes To Ashes I understand, but you also don’t trust any of the others?” Elias said.

“We just feel it’s safer to do it ourselves. We need help, though, especially since we don’t have a DPS or a Healer.”

“Let me guess, you figured that, as a Geomancer, I might be able to fill one of those roles?”

Katrina nodded in agreement. “That was the hope, yes.”

“Well, I’ll be honest, this sounds like a lot of fun. I only registered as a Delver for work, so I could use my class abilities closer to the city, but delving has always been a secret fascination of mine. Though, I’m getting ahead of myself, I haven’t asked the most important question. Would the Key Dungeon happen to be underwater?”

“I’m afraid not, it’s in a deserted suburb.” Katrina said, assuming that bad news was on its way.

“Drat. I’m afraid I won’t be of any use then.” Elias pushed away from the ledge, drifting further out into the water as he leaned back. At first, Katrina noticed two scars underneath his well-defined pecs, but as the rest of his body rose to the surface, she realized what he meant. The bottom half of his body had been replaced with a blueish-green fish tail, which glistened in the water as Elias did a quick spin to face her again. “I’m a mermaid so, without water, I’m a bit useless.”

“That’s a fair point. We definitely don’t have the resources to flood the Dungeon.” Katrina sighed in defeat before continuing. “Is there a reason you haven’t joined any of the aquatic guilds that are always exploring the lake? I hear they’re pretty lax about membership commitments.”

“Well, like I said, I mostly registered for work. I never gave delving much thought until you reached out, but now that the idea’s been floated… maybe I’ll look into it.”

Katrina stood up, sighing in defeat. “If nothing else, I appreciate you meeting with me. Enjoy your night, Elias.”

“Same to you! Who knows, if I end up joining a Guild maybe I’ll shoot you an email!”

With a small smile, Katrina excused herself and left the house. A quick search through her emails revealed her next destination, and she took to the skies as she plugged the address into her GPS. Her flight immediately began to confuse the phone, which wanted her to stick to recognizable streets and paths, but it was good enough to get her where she needed.

Katrina: First guy was a bust, sadly. Ended up being a Mermaid, so even though he wanted to help, he couldn’t.

Alicia: Oh no! That sucks. Hope the next one goes better!

Katrina: Shouldn’t you be in bed? It’s getting pretty late

Alicia: Yeah but I need to push my schedule as late as possible so we can start delving eventually. Unless you’ve discovered Vampire-strength sunblock :P

Katrina: Alright good point

Next on Alicia’s list was a Monk by the name of Emilia Cardenas. This time, she hadn’t been given a home address, but had instead been instructed to meet Emilia at her work. The GPS indicated that Emilia worked at a hospital, which caused Katrina to grow more and more nervous as she approached. If nothing else, this particular hospital seemed to be a smaller clinic, much like the one she routinely visited for her blood donations. After landing, she took a long sip of her own blood rations before steeling her nerves and heading inside.

She immediately noticed that this clinic was larger than hers, though it still paled in comparison to the hospital downtown. Several rows of chairs were filled with people of all shapes and sizes, some of which seemed worse off than others. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like they were in an emergency room, so there weren’t any truly awful injuries that might tempt Katrina’s hunger. The crowds still weren’t helping, but she felt confident she could get through a short conversation.

With no idea who she was looking for, she got in line to speak to someone at the front desk. It was being run by a large Lizardfolk, though Katrina was unsure if they were Beastkin or something else entirely. Their voice was heavy, and slightly raspy, and they did their best to get through the line as quickly as possible. Nearby, in the waiting room proper, Katrina saw a large medical bag that seemed to be floating around of its own accord. Watching it for a few more seconds revealed that it was actually being carried by some kind of Pixie or Sprite, a tiny woman that seemed to be no more than four or five inches tall. Her hair was bright purple, and sparkled as if full of glitter, and she had it tied into a tight ponytail atop her head.

The Sprite was moving from person to person, administering basic care, asking questions, and taking notes on a small notepad. As Katrina watched, a taller man with hooved feet and large antlers bumped into the Sprite, as well as the bag she was holding, and she erupted with anger.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, mister! This is a Race Clinic, so you have no excuse to be this clumsy!” the woman shouted.

Katrina was amazed at how powerfully the woman’s voice carried across the clinic. Before she could watch any further, she realized she was next in line, and walked up to the counter.

“Here for your blood rations?” the Lizardfolk asked. “That’s gonna be a separate counter, around to your right, and at the end of the hall.”

“I’m actually here to speak with Emilia? She should be expecting me.”

“Oh, yes! She mentioned she had someone stopping by. Emilia! You’ve got company!”

The Sprite that had been buzzing around the clinic turned towards the front desk, and somehow crossed the gap in a matter of seconds. “Excellent! Angie, could you hold down the fort for a sec? I’m taking a fifteen.” Emilia set her medical bag down, then gestured for Katrina to follow her.

“I appreciate you sparing the time, I won’t need long, I promise,” Katrina said.

“Eh, a girl’s gotta eat at some point, might as well knock out some business as I do,” Emilia said. Before they could reach the front door, however, she turned to look at a patient in the waiting room and shouted across the lobby. “Hey! Jenkins! What did I say about keeping pressure on the wound? If you keep fidgeting, it’s going to re-open!”

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“Seems like you’re having a heck of a night,” Katrina noted.

“Nah, this is pretty slow all things considered,” Emilia said. She led Katrina to a small alcove nearby which housed a series of chairs and benches, all meant for Races of different sizes. The Sprite settled down on a tiny bench that looked more like a bird perch, and Katrina took a seat on a nearby chair so they were roughly at eye level. “So, you’re here about the job offer?”

“I’m sorry, job offer? I had reached out because you’re certified as a Delver, as I was hoping you might help me with a small problem we’re having related to the Dungeon.”

“Oh, fiddlesticks, you’re the Dungeon lady. I think I might have gotten my emails mixed up… Might need to check that I didn’t shoot down a candidate trying to apply…”

Katrina bit her tongue in frustration, doing her best to stay calm despite the mix-up and the crowd around her. “Should I assume that means you’re not interested in helping us?”

“Look, Katrina, was it? It’s not that I’m not interested, but life’s pretty hectic right now. I registered as a Delver years ago, when I didn’t know if I’d be able to continue my career as a nurse. I actually helped clear out this street way back before the city was reclaimed, if you can believe it.”

“I must admit, I knew you were a Monk, but your size caught me by surprise.”

“Ha! I get that a lot, but Races like mine can pack a surprising punch with the right Class Features. Still, once I’d managed to get into nursing again, I found my abilities were just as helpful for keeping the clinic running smoothly. Right now, we’re facing a staff shortage, so I simply don’t have the time to start jumping into Dungeons and risking my life. Really sorry for the mix up, Katrina, I promise I didn’t mean to waste your time.”

“No, I understand. I’ll let you get back to your break, and I hope you have a pleasant evening.”

Katrina stood up, mentally crossing another name off her list, and floated into the skies again. The evening wasn’t going well, but she tried to stay positive as she pulled up her next contact. This was her last lead of the day, and she still hadn’t heard back from the other delvers she’d emailed last night. She set her destination in her GPS and headed out.

It seemed this person wanted to meet her at some kind of spa, or was it a yoga studio? Katrina wasn’t entirely sure, and she didn’t feel like pulling up their website to find out. The most important thing was that it wasn’t downtown, and she could continue flying everywhere.

As she approached, she saw that the building in question was surrounded by trees and greenery. A great deal of care had been put into the lot, and it appeared to have a large backyard that had been fenced off from the surrounding area. When she landed in front of the building, she snapped a picture of the front garden, then sent it to Alicia. She didn’t fully understand what she was looking at, but she had a feeling the Dryad would appreciate it.

Opening the door caused a smell bell to ring, and she immediately noticed a thin blanket of incense coating the air in the lobby. She couldn’t resist coughing slightly, and before she could collect herself, she saw someone appear at the front desk. She appeared to be human, with long blonde hair that fell past her shoulders.

“Sorry about the smell, we try to keep it out of the lobby but it’s certainly a challenge. What can I help you with?” the blonde woman asked.

“There’s not actually that much, but my senses are heightened.” Katrina finally cleared her throat and stepped closer. “I’m looking for someone named… Burl?”

“Oh, yes! He’s in back, he mentioned someone might be stopping by. Let me show you where he’s at.”

The woman showed Katrina to a side door that led deeper into the building. As soon as they left the lobby, the lights dimmed considerably, and they began walking past a series of small, closed rooms. Eventually, they found a larger space with a few yoga mats, as well as the incense Katrina had been smelling this whole time, but they kept walking until they entered the backyard.

It looked considerably different from the ground. Overhead, a series of rafters held strings of lights aloft, and they cast the garden in warm, comforting light. The smell of incense faded somewhat, instead replaced by a strong floral scent that seemed to be a mixture of several different flowers scattered throughout the yard. In one corner, a small field of sand surrounded a tiny pond, and water cascaded down a series of bamboo shoots to fill it.

In the center of the yard, sitting cross-legged on the grass, sat an incredibly large minotaur. Deep brown fur covered his legs and his head, which closely resembled that of a bull, complete with two large horns. His arms sat comfortably in his lap, and his eyes were closed as he focused on taking several deep breaths. When he finally spoke, his voice was incredibly deep.

“Thank you so much, Sandy, I really appreciate it,” the minotaur said.

“No problem, Burl!” The woman quickly turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

“So, you’re Katrina, I take it?” Burl asked, opening his eyes.

“I am, yes. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Not at all! I just spend most of my free time here, I much prefer it to the tiny apartment I’m stuck in. We don’t even have a community garden, can you believe it? I tried to petition the landlord but I’m pretty sure he’s ignoring my emails.”

“Typical landlord, I know the type,” Katrina said, clearing her throat again. “So, um, I’m actually here because you’re a registered delver, and I was wondering if you might be able to help me out.”

“Right! Sorry, I tend to let my mind wander when I’m here. Helps avoid distractions, prevent me from fixating on… well, never mind. How can I help?”

“I don’t know if you follow Dungeon news, but I recently found the next Key Dungeon along with a friend of mine. Unfortunately, due to some… complications, we don’t want any of the Guilds getting inside. We’re planning on clearing the Dungeon ourselves, but we need help. Since you’re not affiliated with any Guilds, I was wondering if you might be interested?”

“A Key Dungeon! Congratulations!” A hearty laugh echoed through the yard before Burl continued. “You’re certainly right about one thing, I’m not in a Guild, but there’s a good reason for that. A while back, maybe a year or two? I remember all the Guilds being frustrated at a praying mantis boss in the Dungeon, he was somehow resistant to fire, you see, and—”

“Yes, I remember Ashes To Ashes being particularly annoyed at that one,” Katrina said, cutting the minotaur off to hopefully keep him on task.

“Oh, excellent! Anyways, around that time, I was getting pretty fed up with my day job. I thought I might be able to get into delving and live a more exciting life. After all, I’m huge, I’m a Brawler, there’s got to be good money there, right? Well, since I’m not a human, Ashes To Ashes conveniently decided they weren’t accepting applications at the time, but I managed to get myself a trial run with another Guild. We headed into the Dungeon, and the first batch of monsters appeared, when something inside of me just snapped. All the frustration from my job, all my anger at everything I lost in the Change, suddenly I had something I could blame it all on. I managed to hold my own against that monster, but… apparently, I also tried to hold my own against my fellow delvers.”

Katrina listened intently, nodding along with the conversation. The mental toll of delving was well documented, and she wasn’t surprised by Burl’s story in the slightest. Still, she had a feeling she knew where the story was going.

“If I remember correctly,” Burl continued, “I’m on some kind of blacklist. Trust is the most important thing when you’re risking your life in the Dungeon, and I’d shown I wasn’t trustworthy. The whole incident made me realize I need help; I found a great therapist, I started coming here to Sandy’s studio. I’ve spent a lot of time working through those feelings, trying to process why I got so angry. I learned that there are more productive ways to channel my rage, and I’m really happy with how far I’ve come.”

“Let me guess,” Katrina said, “it would be best if you didn’t try to delve anymore?”

“Without a doubt. I need to avoid that life, though apparently I never took my name off the delver registry. I hate that I had to waste your time, Katrina. Your cause seems noble, but I’ll have to pass.”

“I understand. Delving isn’t for everyone, it can be pretty tough.”

“Have you ever tried meditation? I can tell from here how tense you are.”

The question caught Katrina off guard. “I haven’t, actually. My tension is… it’s a Status thing. Not much I can do about it.”

“I used to think the same thing, Katrina, but I promise there’s a way to work through those feelings! To channel them into something healthy!” Burl said, smiling wide.

“Um, sure, I’ll think about it. For now, I do have somewhere to be, so…” Katrina waved goodbye, then briefly looked to the sky. She decided to not fly through the rafters, instead walking back to the lobby to leave properly. She waved goodbye to Sandy, but quickened her pace when she realized she’d gotten used to the incense and could now smell the girl’s blood.

Outside, Katrina leaned against the building, repeatedly bumping her head against the wall in frustration. All three leads had been duds, and she hadn’t heard back from the other people on her list yet. She opened her blood ration and drank slightly more than she should have, then packed it away again. With nothing else to do today, she figured she might as well head home.

Lifting off the ground, she lazily flew home as she tried to think of other solutions to their problem. Worst case scenario, they would have to partner with a Guild, which would likely mean surrendering control of the delving process.

Katrina: Third lead also fizzled out, not off to a great start

When Katrina finally arrived home, she tossed her blood ration back in the fridge and collapsed into her computer chair. Booting up her computer, the first thing she did was email her job, explaining that she needed some time off for Status reasons. With that out of the way, she started digging through old files until she found all her old delving resources.

A few years back, after she’d managed to get her life back in order, she’d extensively planned out how she might build her Class if she ever started delving. She had notes about which Features might appear at different levels, ideas for spells, as well as a huge collection of random facts about different types of monsters.

Checking her Status, Katrina saw that all the flying had used up more of her mana than she’d thought. She was still sitting at 89%, which wasn’t bad considering how much flying she’d been doing, but she made a note to try and be more conservative in the future. The way things were looking, her Regeneration Inspiration might be the only healing Alicia was going to get, and Katrina couldn’t afford to waste mana on flying.

The last thing she did was check her email. She didn’t have high hopes, especially after how tonight had gone, and was mentally preparing herself to send out another wave of inquiries. However, much to her surprise, she found a reply waiting for her. Even better, it was from the Mage Knight.

Her name was Tabitha, and she seemed skeptical of Katrina’s request, but was willing to at least meet for a brief discussion. Even better, the café she wanted to meet at was in the suburbs, much closer to Alicia’s house than all the other potential candidates. Katrina’s frustration was quickly overtaken by another wave of excitement, both because Tabitha was willing to meet, but also because she’d be able to spend more time with Alicia.

Katrina sent one last text to Alicia, who seemed to be asleep now, with details about their meeting. She also saved all of her delving notes to her cloud, then shut down her computer and spent the rest of the night with her guitar.