Gentle music drifted through the canopy, backed by the subtle percussion of leaves crunching underfoot. Inspiration flowed through Katrina, suffusing her guitar before leaping through the air to return vitality to her party. In her opinion, their first fight had been an overwhelming success, and they’d escaped with only minimal injuries. Plus, Alicia had hit Level Three; yet another reason to feel optimistic about their first delve.
Part of her still had trouble believing she was in an actual Dungeon. On the one hand, it had been her dream ever since the Change; on the other, their surroundings looked nothing like she expected. Dungeons were known for taking on countless shapes and sizes, and she consistently combed through forums looking for news about incredible new discoveries. In the past, Dungeon floors had appeared as deserts, frozen tundras, mechanical mazes, sometimes even decrepit, overgrown cities. Heck, the Dungeon under Harvard University was so expansive that one of the earlier floors had been entirely tamed by Guilds and turned into a bustling urban community.
Despite an intimate knowledge that Dungeons could turn deadly at the drop of a hat, it was hard to ignore the beauty surrounding them. Rays of faux sunlight filtered through the canopy above, dancing across Kat’s pale skin and triggering memories of exploring forest preserves as a child. At first she had instinctively flinched away from them, but quickly found herself marveling at the unique opportunity. The sunlight was fake, of course, but hints of warmth still flickered across her skin to sell the illusion. The fear of wandering Dungeon monsters faded into the background, just for a minute, as she smiled at the sensation. The simple joy of walking through a forest had been lost during the Change, yet this Dungeon had given her a chance to experience it with her beautiful girlfriend.
Alicia looked incredible amidst the abundant greenery. Even though she’d put years of effort into helping nature reclaim her neighborhood, bulky streets and boxy houses would always mar the landscape. Here, surrounded by verdant forestry, Alicia was completely in her element.
A trail of bright pink tulips sprang up in her wake, always a few paces behind her. They marked a path back to the entrance of the Dungeon, which Kat was incredibly grateful for. Getting lost in Dungeons was extremely common, even on floors where the paths were simple, straightforward hallways. Earlier, Alicia had even been able to warn them of an incoming monster by using her connection to the plants in the area, which had no doubt saved them from a possible ambush.
“Anything yet?” Tab asked, shaking Kat from her thoughts.
“Nothing so far. I’m not even sure what we’re looking for though. Kat?” Alicia asked, turning back to Katrina.
“Well, for starters, familiarizing ourselves with the Dungeon is never bad. However, in terms of tangible goals, there are a few options. Most importantly, this place exists as a vehicle to find the Key Shard for the next level of the Chicago Dungeon. There’s a good chance it’s held by a boss monster, and we’ll get it as a prize for defeating them. I’ve heard rumors that Key Dungeons are often more than one floor, however, so we should probably be looking for a door to a lower level. With all this forest theming, however, I’m not sure what it might look like. Sometimes combat isn’t the point, though; there could easily be a puzzle that leads us downstairs. No way to know.”
“So, just keep watch for anything and everything. Great,” Tabitha said, turning her eyes back to the Dungeon around her.
Pushing deeper into the Dungeon, the trees began shifting closer and closer to each other, eventually funneling them into a tiny clearing with multiple paths branching off. They appeared quite similar to game paths, hinting at differently sized monsters that might be roaming through the artificial forest.
The group paused, all three of them looking around as they hunted for any helpful clues. Katrina counted three paths in total, all different sizes, but the thick trees made it difficult to see very far into any one path.
“See anything useful?” Kat asked, her Inspiration still flowing freely. “I can’t see anything unique about any of the paths, other than their sizes.”
Tabitha walked up to the path next to Katrina. “The sizing on this one makes me think the wolves came through here. The width looks about right, but that makes me nervous about the bigger path.”
“The paths might not be natural, remember. The big path could have been artificially created by the Dungeon, rather than by the movement of monsters. Alicia, what do you think?”
Looking to her left, Katrina saw Alicia kneeling on the ground and inspecting a thick patch of bushes. “There’re four paths, actually. This one here is just incredibly small.” The group reconvened around the Dryad as she moved some branches aside, revealing a fourth, tiny path.
“Well, we have to pick something,” Tabitha said. “How about the big path, since it’ll be the easiest to keep track of. Besides, I don’t even know if I’d fit into those smaller paths.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, then started walking. Much like the entrance to the Dungeon, this path eventually widened until they were standing in another massive clearing, eerily reminiscent of the previous chamber. Was this how the dungeon was structured? A collection of large forests connected by small hub areas? They had yet to fully explore a larger chamber, so it was hard to commit to any one theory.
Before they had a chance to push deeper into this chamber, Alicia spun on her heel to look behind them.
“What’s up, Cherry Blossom? Monsters?” Tab asked, her sabers at the ready.
“I… don’t know. I thought I felt something, but it’s gone now. Could just be nerves, for all I know. I’m still getting used to actually being here.”
Kat stepped closer to Alicia and briefly paused her music, freeing up her hands to grab her girlfriend’s shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay to be scared. Good, even. I’m scared too, but we’ve got each other, we’re gonna be alright.”
Alicia shuddered briefly, then turned to look forward again. “Ugh, stupid monsters.”
Seconds gave way to minutes as they continued walking, the idle Dungeon forest unnervingly quiet around them. Kat’s eyes darted back and forth, eagerly watching every nook and cranny for signs of a possible path that might lead deeper into the Dungeon. As they kept walking, and monsters continued their fortunate absence, the group wandered slightly further apart. Not by much, they were all still within a few feet of each other, but they were no longer rubbing elbows as they walked.
This extra space made it easier to look around, and it was Tabitha that stumbled across the first noteworthy find. She whistled quietly before calling out “Hey, I might have found the door downstairs!”
Kat and Alicia quickly caught up to the Foxgirl, and as they passed a large tree, they saw what Tabitha was talking about. Suspended in between two massive tree trunks was a thick collection of vines, laced so tightly Kat could barely see past them. Each individual vine was incredibly thick, and almost all of them gathered on a single point. Suspended in the center of this strange wall of vines hung a large, circular stone tablet with an obvious indentation in the middle. The indentation looked like a paw print, as if some huge creature had stepped in wet cement.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“I hesitate to call this a door exactly, but it certainly seems like a way downstairs,” Kat said, holding up a hand. “I can feel a slight breeze.”
“So, what’s this paw print about?” Alicia asked, tracing her fingers across the grooves in the stone. “It looks kinda like a bear paw. Is this for a key? Do we need to, I dunno, carve a piece of wood to look like this?”
“I doubt it,” Tabitha said. “Chances are we need to either solve a puzzle or wait for the key to drop from a monster. At least, that’s how I’ve heard most other Dungeons operate.”
“That sounds about right to me.” Kat stepped closer, trying to find a gap in the vines to peek into the staircase. “Especially since this is a Key Dungeon. I doubt we’re going to see any huge twists or turns in the way it’s set up. Honestly, our best bet is probably to just keep exploring. Maybe we find a puzzle, maybe we fight a monster and get the key.”
After a few more minutes of slowly examining the wall of vines, the party decided to return to exploring the dungeon. Alicia took extra care to mark the area with more tulips, this time using bright blue colors, and they returned to idly wandering around.
They were at the edge of the current chamber, eyeing another small clearing with various paths, when Alicia sounded another alert. She held up a hand, closing it into a fist before pointing at several places surrounding them. The thick underbrush surrounding them began to shake, and within seconds, monsters were charging out from the bushes. They moved quickly, but low to the ground, and Katrina leapt into the air to avoid them. Hovering above the ground, she got a better look at what had ambushed them.
A small herd of boars charged from all angles, snorting and grunting as they raced towards the party. Tabitha was jumping all over the clearing, bounding off tree trunks and branches as she avoided their massive tusks. For as quick as she moved, her swords moved twice as fast; deep gashes seemed to appear without cause as Tabitha raced around the clearing. Alicia, although far less mobile, was summoning a series of barriers to corral the monsters into predictable patterns. Many of the monsters took the bait, opting to follow her makeshift labyrinth rather than bashing down the walls themselves, which made Kat sigh in relief.
Of the many barriers Alicia had created, a small number were made of harsh, thorny vines and exploding fruit pods. The few boars that weren’t trying to navigate the maze began to rush through these patches, the jagged barbs ripping into their skin. One of them charged into the aforementioned fruit, causing it to violently tear open with a sharp popping noise. Jagged seeds burst forth, ripping into the boar as it squealed with pain, and moments later it vanished into a puff of smoke when Alicia’s staff smashed into its head.
Katrina thought about readying her sword, especially since the boars wouldn’t be able to reach her in the air, but her hopes were dashed by the appearance of a harsh buzzing sound. She tore her eyes from the ground, scanning the treetops for the source, when she saw a swarm of massive, desiccated wasp, each at least a foot tall.
They flew fast, much faster than Katrina could, and she began to panic. She had the hardest time recovering health, and tales of harsh monster poison began swirling in her head as the insects continued charging her. She stopped her Inspiration, switching to harsh, aggressive staccato melodies as a series of sonic blades shot from her instrument. The size of the wasps made them easier to hit, but they were still quick; several of her attacks whiffed completely.
“Wasps above!” Kat shouted, doing her best to dodge the incoming stingers. Magic sparked around her fingers as she kept throwing spells at them, alternating between sonic blades and magically shoving them further away. She was avoiding damage, thankfully, but it was costing her quite a bit of mana.
In an attempt to conserve mana, Kat landed in a clear patch of grass, hoping that she could use Alicia’s barriers to continue evading the wasps. Only seconds after landing, however, a screeching boar ran around a barrier and began to charge her. She flinched in surprise at its speed, and tried to pivot to aim a knockback spell, but it was clear she didn’t have enough time. The boar’s tusks were inches away from gouging into her arm when another of Alicia’s barriers sprang up, stopping the boar in its tracks.
Alicia appeared next, her staff a blur as she began repeatedly striking the monster’s side. Its tusks had gotten wedged in the bark of her barrier, and it must have already been damaged, as it disappeared into a puff of loot within seconds. The two girls shared a momentary glance before Alicia was spinning to intercept the next threat.
Atop the barriers, barely visible due to her overwhelming speed, Tabitha sank her blades into the remaining wasps, dispatching them each with only a slash or two. Katrina saw her blades shimmering, it seemed like she was keeping a safe distance between herself and their venomous stingers, and Katrina began playing again to help ward off the swarm. After a few more sonic blasts, the wasps had all vanished into bursts of loot, and Tab switched her focus back to the boars on the ground.
With the air free of threats, Katrina briefly returned to the air before kneeling on one of Alicia’s barriers. She kept a close eye on the remaining monsters, calling out their locations when it seemed helpful, and restarted her healing Inspiration. She watched as Tab and Alicia fought through the last of the boars, and soon enough the field was safe again.
Katrina jumped back to the ground as Alicia dispelled her barriers, and the party regrouped.
“We did it!” Alicia cheered, throwing her arms around Kat. “Are you okay? I was so worried when those wasps showed up!”
“I’m fine, Alicia, promise.” Katrina kissed the Dryad’s cheek quickly. “How’s everyone doing on health? Mana?”
“Honestly, my health is doing pretty great,” Tabitha said, leaning against a nearby tree. “Making a barrier maze was a great idea, Cherry Blossom, that funneled most of the creatures into predictable patterns. That didn’t sap too much HP, did it?”
Alicia shook her head. “A little bit, but not much. Most of the monsters didn’t try to break the barriers down since they weren’t blocked in. I had to absorb a hit for Kat, though, and I did, um… take a hit myself.” She stepped back, then turned around to show off the back of her leg.
It appeared that one of the boars had rammed a tusk into the Dryad’s calf, cutting through her armor and hitting her directly. Rivulets of deep green liquid dripped down her leg, stirring pangs of guilt in Katrina. “Alicia! What’s your HP at?!”
“I’m fine, Kat, honestly. It looks worse than it feels.”
“Alicia,” Kat said, her voice deadly serious. “What’s your HP at?”
After a short pause, Alicia pulled up her status to check. “I’m at… 64%. And it looks like my Wall of Thorns feature uses mana, ‘cuz my MP is at 87%. That’s good, right? My mana is actually useful now!”
“Don’t change the topic, Alicia!” Kat said, grabbing Alicia’s shoulders. “If your HP reaches zero, you die! No amount of regeneration can fix that!”
“What was I supposed to do, let that boar rip you to pieces?!” Alicia cried, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “It’s my responsibility to keep you all safe, that’s what I’ve been training for, and we only have two weeks to figure this stupid dungeon out!”
Kat pulled Alicia close, hugging her tight. “The point of doing this Dungeon is to keep you safe! We kept the Guilds away so they wouldn’t damage your roots, but that doesn’t matter if we die in the process!”
They held each other silently for a few moments before Kat felt Alicia shake, and she swore she felt a teardrop land on her shoulder. “I just… I know you’re right, but this is scary. I’ve never been a fighter before, Kat, and I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t expecting there to be so many monsters! Three wolves seemed doable, but then all those boars, and the wasps on top of that…”
Leaves crunched from a few feet away as Tabitha stepped closer. “We should turn back. There’s no harm in playing it safe.”
“But we barely learned anything!” Alicia said, pulling away from Kat to look at the Foxgirl.
Tabitha laughed. “That’s not true in the slightest! We know what the Dungeon looks like, we know what kind of monsters to expect, and we even found a door! Plus, none of us have fought actual monsters before, and now we have. Yes, we took some hits, but look on the bright side—we stuck to our previously discussed strategies really well! Not to mention a decent handful of loot and experience. A couple runs just like this, and we might be able to afford some potions!”
“Tabitha’s right, Alicia. We could easily just spend another day or two grinding away near the entrance and it would be time well spent.”
A deep breath, a heavy sigh, and Alicia finally nodded in agreement. “Alright, yeah, let’s head back.”
It only took a few minutes for everyone to comb the area for loot, which again consisted of mostly monster parts and small handfuls of copper. As worried as Katrina was, she was happy they were playing it safe. And maybe she was excited to have real Dungeon coins in her pocket that she’d earned herself.
