“I have a dungeon! It’s uhis neighborhood, and I know where the entrance is. It’s a total secret, no one knows it’s here but me!”

  “You’ve been living above a Dungeon for four years?! Do the monsters ever get out? What kind of biomes are in it? How big is it?” Katrina’s demeanor had ged entirely, and Alicia couldn’t help but smile at her excitement.

  “Oh no, it hasn’t been years. This one just opened up a few weeks ago.”

  “But that… Alicia, that doesn’t make sense. Every Dungeon we know about appeared during the ge. New ones ’t just pop up out of nowhere.”

  Alicia shrugged. “Hey, I don’t know how they work. I just know that one day, everything was normal, and the , I had a Dungeon.” She paused briefly, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. “Would you… want to go see it?”

  “Are you kidding?!” Katrina floated out of the tree quickly but paused before she traveled too far. “Wait, what about you? I’m noal, but shouldn’t you be asleep?”

  “I’ll be fine! Besides, I think it’ll be fun to look at this with you, since you’re so knowledgeable about Dungeons.” Alicia vanished into her tree, floating down to the base of the trunk, and stepped out onto her wn. She saw Katrina in the middle of pag up her guitar, though it seemed to be taking lohan usual. She was trying to pull all the cherry blossom flowers out of her case, which she’d left open. Once she’d finished, she eagerly turo Alicia.

  “Okay, I’m ready! Where to?”

  The Dryad turned north, and the girls started walking. “So, I don’t really know much about it. I feel the monsters walking around, some of my roots are exposed in the Dungeon, but thankfully they don’t seem to fight each other. The entrance is in the basement of an old destroyed house, and when I found it, there was a zombie walking around.”

  “Zombies are normally on the weaker side for monsters, so that’s not terrible. Did you fight it?”

  “Of course not! I blocked off the staircase and ran!”

  “Right, you’re a Bulwark. What Level are you?”

  “I’m only Level One. Nothing ever happens out here, so it’s not like I’ve ever had a ce to gain experience. Plus, Delving never really ied me, so I never cared that I wasn’t gaining Levels. What about you?”

  “Bard, Level Two. My subcss is built for Spellcasting, but I don’t unlock spells until level. Right now, I just have a simple Buff Aura. I hasten Regeion for HP, SP, or MP for those around me.” Katrina thought to herself for a moment. “Sounds like we’re not really built to deal damage, are we?”

  Alicia ughed. “I guess not! But we’re just looking, right?” As she fialking, she turned a er and finally saw the destroyed house she was looking for. “Here it is!”

  Katrina walked ahead, cheg out the area carefully. “You said it was in the basement, right?” She approached the gap where the front door used to be, and cautiously pushed her hand over the threshold.

  “Yup, basement is just around the er.” Alicia watched the Vampire, who seemed oddly nervous about stepping into the house. “You okay? You seem nervous.”

  “I’m cheg to see if the System still thinks the house to be someone’s property. If someoill siders this their home, then I wouldn’t be allowed in without their permission.”

  “Right, Vampire.”

  “I think we’re fihough. I don’t feel aance.” Katrina took a deep breath and passed through the doorway, then exhaled. “Lead the way!”

  Alicia turned sideways, squeezing past Katrina. She was immediately aware of how close they were, their bodies brushing against each other as she passed. She cleared her throat nervously, then pointed down the hall. “So, down this hall there’s a staircase, which leads down to the basement. The Dungeorance opened inside.”

  She had to stop briefly when they found the doorway, as it was still blocked off by a colle of vines, lumber, and rock. She closed her eyes, eg with the flora present, and over the course of the few minutes, slowly undid her barricade while Katrina pulled out the debris. When they fihe darkened basement stood ready to be explored, though Alicia couldn’t help but notice it was much creepier at night.

  The girls looked at each other for a moment before Katrina spoke. “You sure this isn’t a secret murder basement? I’m not going to find all the bodies of your previous victims?”

  “I’m Level One!”

  “Hey, I don’t have a S, you could be lying.” Katrina stuck her to pyfully. “Still, I believe you. I’m fine leading the way, but if I get attacked, I get a barrier?”

  “I’ll keep you safe, Katrina.” Alicia whispered, grabbing the Vampire’s shoulder. She let her hand linger for lohaended, and pulled it baervously after log eyes with Katrina.

  “Alright, we do this.” With a deep breath, Katrina started dowaircase. Her steps were careful, and her nervous energy was iious. Alicia could see her shoulders tensing, her fingers squeezing into fists as she desded. Her hands brushed against her legs, which were dark gray denim that g tight to her entig frame. Each of her steps, while slorecise, seemed like careful dance moves when ing from her. As she reached the basement proper, she turowards the back wall, and Alicia’s eyes traced the curve of her backside, which had previously been hidden by her guitar case.

  “Wow, look at that!” Katrina said.

  Startled, Alicia shook herself to her senses as she pulled her eyes away from the Vampire. “Yes, the Dungeht. Is it what you expected?”

  “Hard to say. They say you should never judge a Dungeon by its entrance.” Katrina stepped closer, her eyes wandering over the smooth stone of the entrance. “Wait, Dryads see in the dark?”

  “Nope. Would light be a bad idea? You’re the expert here.”

  “Nothing could be worse than trying to delve in pitch darkness. Wanna hit your phone fshlight?” Katrina looked back at her, and after a moment of silence, spoke again. “Wait, you’re not wearing clothes. Do you even have your phoh you?”

  “I barely touch it these days, it’s ba my room.”

  “No problem, you use mihe Vampire moved closer, pulling out her phone aing it up. A bright light filled the area, and soon Alicia was carefully grabbing the source. She held it to her chest, and her eyes met Katrina’s briefly before the vampire turo face the Dungeon again.

  Alicia took a deep breath as she aimed the fshlight. There was o the chasm in front of them, and her nerves were shaking away the fatigue she felt from being up so te. Out of curiosity, she tapped the power button on Katrina’s phoo check the time. It wasn’t as te as she feared, but she was immediately distracted by something else she saw; there was a girl on Katrina’s lock s.

  She had natural, bright red hair, and a generous o of freckles covered her face. Her green eyes peeked out from behind a rge pair of gsses, and she was smiling at the camera as she y in a field of grass.

  Could Katrina have a girlfriend? She kept saying that people made her nervous, so I assumed she was single… Oh, Alicia! She could be ahis could be a sister, a friend, maybe someone she lost in the ge! This wonderful girl is finally getting a ce to delve, and you’re worried about her dating life? Pull yourself together!

  She tapped the power button again and refocused her eyes on the Dungeon in front of her. Katrina had wandered further ahead, though not by much, and the Dryad eagerly quied her pace to catch up.

  “So, what’s the pn?” Alicia whispered.

  “We shouldn’t go in far, especially not without any real damage abilities. Holy, I only feel safe peeking in like this since you said the st monster was a zombie. They’re pretty slow, and we easily run away if one shows.”

  With aep, Alicia finally crossed the threshold into the Dungeon. The harsh crete of the basement gave way to packed dirt, and she could feel her e with nature strengthen again. She dug ioes, w if she could learn anything from the surrounding pnts. Katrina was busy digging through a s the wall, which gave Alicia a few seds to survey the area.

  Many of the local foliage had been shaken loose by the appearance of the Dungeon, but her abilities couldn’t get a strong read ounnel ahead. She could feel the vihat had previously blocked off the basement, however, and they were stirring.

  “Katrina, wait! I think something’s behind us!” Alicia whispered.

  “What? How?! I didn’t hear any doors opening!” Katrina ran closer, standing in front of Alicia as the girls both looked back towards the entrahere, blog their escape, was the zombie from several days ago. It was covered in vines and leaves, and had just finished crawling free of its er.

  It never went bato the Dungeon! It must have id down and I actally covered it when I blocked the door!

  “Get ready, it looks like we’re fighting our way out.” Katrina pulled her guitar case off her back, setting it down carefully before hyping herself up.

  “You don’t have a on! What are you going to do?!”

  “Just keep me safe, alright?”

  Alicia’s pulse raced as she watched Katrina close the distahe zombie was focused on her, for better or worse, and she ran in to try and strike its head. She smirked as her punded, and while the monster flinched, it didn’t seem all that affected. It retaliated, throwing its weight behind a strike of its own, and Alicia mao summon a barrier to intercept the attack. A colle of roots, bark, and vine rose from the floor just inches from Katrina’s body, managing to stop the attack from hitting her.

  She felt the attack dig into her HP, but thankfully the nature of her css meant she couldn’t feel the pain itself. The zombie, however, suddenly began moving with unnatural speed, and quickly pivoted on its good leg to sh out again. Alicia hadn’t expected this, and watched in horror as the zombie struck Katrina’s shoulder, sending her flying. She nded a few feet away, wing in pain as she hit the floor.

  The zombie, now free of its target, turo Alicia and rushed. She froze, panig, unsure how to react. She wasn’t a fighter, and had never been attacked like this before.

  “Alicia! Barrier!” Katrina shouted.

  Barely thinking, Alicia summoned another barrier, and it caught the zombie just as it had jumped at her. She saw its arms filing, trying to reach around the sides, and she screamed as she fell to the floor herself. Katrina ran in, taking advantage of the distra, and grabbed the zombie’s head. Pulling it back, Alicia saw her mouth open, and her impressive fangs sank into the monster’s neck. They sank deep, causing the zombie to groan in pain before finally ceasing to exist. Its body vanished in a puff of smoke, and Alicia heard several small items ctter to the ground.

  Several moments passed, both girls processing their victory, and soon enough Katrina stepped closer to Alicia. She held out a hand, and Alicia eagerly accepted the assistance.

  “Are you okay?” Katrina asked. “That thing was strohan it looked.”

  “Me?! You got thrown across the room! What about you?”

  “Eh, I knew what I was getting myself into, and it’s not like I’ve never been in a fight before. Now , what’s your HP at?”

  Alicia caved, summoniatus. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. Sixty-eight pert, just from those two attacks.” Alicia paused, trying to catch her breath. “ we leave now? This was way more dahan I was ready for.”

  Uedly, Katrina pulled Alicia in for a hug, holdiight. “I’m so sorry, Alicia. I shouldn’t have tried t you down here, I just… I got so excited.”

  “I-I mean, it was my idea. You ’t bme yourself for that.” Alicia felt herself blushing again, and even dared to return the hug. Her hand traced over Katrina’s back, and she grew momentarily distracted by the feeling of the Vampire’s impressive chest pushing against her own.

  When Katrina pulled away from the hug, she quickly ran to grab her phone and her guitar case. Alicia, oher hand, k down to the floor to examine whatever small items had fallen out of the zombie. There were a few teeth, a piece of cloth, and aem she didn’t reize. One side of it was unusually reflective, as if it were part of a mirror, and it had jagged, uneven edges.

  “Katrina,” Alicia asked, “you killed the zombie by biting it. Aren’t you not supposed to bite zombies? You’re not going to turn into one, are you?”

  “Nah, monsters have their own weird rules.” Katrina, now with all her stuff, began walking to the basement staircase. "Dungeons throw anything and everything at us, but think of whatever it spawns as a fancy simution. It may look like a zombie, but it aothing like a zombie you might see at the DMV. In that same vein, some dungeons spawn human monsters, like cultists or apocalyptic raiders, but I would never be able to feed on them."

  The girls quickly left the basement, and Alicia sighed with relief ohey were out. She moved to the front wn and sat down, happy to be back outside. “Thanks for saving me, Katrina. That was… well, let’s just say I’m fortable in my decision to not be a Delver.”

  “Give yourself some credit! We both tributed, and we’re both alive. Well, you’re alive and I’m the right kind of dead, I suppose.” Katrina ughed, looking up into the sky, the moonlight illuminating her face. She seemed oddly exuberant, and Alicia couldn’t help but smile along with her. “Wait, did you pick up the loot? What did we get?”

  “ht.” Alicia was still holding everything in her hand, and she gave it to the Vampire to look it over.

  “Wow, actual monster loot!” Katrina turned over the items in her hands, her eyes full of wonder. Whearted looking at the st item, the strange reflective piece, she paused. “Wait, this is… oh my god.”

  “What’s wrong?” Alicia slid closer out of curiosity.

  “Alicia, this is a piece of the Bean.”

  “Wait, THE Bean?”

  Katrina nodded, apprehension appearing on her face. “It was destroyed in the ge, and everyone’s been trying to rebuild it ever since. But that means this isn’t some random Dungeon, Alicia. This is the Chicago Dungeon!”

  —

  Our exg plot tinues! I realize we got off to a slower start, but I think it's going to be fun to see how this new discovery ges things.

  "Ooh you ed your desk! It looks so much better now!"

  Well, you both were hounding me about it.

  "Y'know, uidelines say the word 'hounding' be iive to e Beastkin"

  Wait, seriously?

  "Ugh, I'm not here to talk about work. I'm here because I wao share the song Katrina ying for me! It's called 'Suite popuire brésilienne, W020 - 1. Mazurka-Ch?r?' by Heitor Vil-Lobos. She had something fancy to say about it, but I lost her notes. So, um... it's really pretty! I really like that, at the end, it suddenly gets super plicated. If Katrina kneatg her, I'd suspect she was doing it to show off, but her eyes were closed the whole time."

  Thank you for not threatening me, Alicia.

  "Is Katrina beio you?"

  Yes!

  "Well... maybe I'll try and talk with her. Night!"

  Nyx <3