Chapter 5.1

“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 let 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. “It's gonna be okay, Alicia. 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?”

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“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 Austin. 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 attractive Alicia was. Katrina had been so wrapped up in her own paranoia that she’d missed it earlier, but the Dryad had an incredible body. Of course, it didn’t hurt 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.