Blood & Chlorophyll Ch. 26

When Alicia woke the next morning, she did so with boundless confidence. She had slept incredibly well after exhausting herself with Kat, and happily woke in the Vampire's arms. After gently sliding from her girlfriend's grasp, and placing a soft kiss on her head, she'd gone about her usual morning routine. She'd spent some time with Elias, wandered the neighborhood watering her plants, and worked through some basic stretches with Tabitha.

Her biggest confusion was that Roxy was nowhere to be seen. She'd been under the assumption that Roxy was growing more relaxed with them, and it was strange for her to excuse herself from everything after the nice talk they'd had yesterday.

Elias claimed not to know where she was, as did Tab, which left Alicia distracted for most of the evening. She thought about visiting Roxy's temporary house to check on her, but decided to trust that Roxy knew what she was doing. After all, it seemed likely that they might be neighbors soon, which meant it would be helpful to adjust to the idea that Roxy would sometimes want time to herself.

Once the sun had set, Alicia excitedly shuffled home to wait for Kat to wake up. Now that she'd grown accustomed to her new height, she'd resigned herself to the unfortunate conclusion that she would have to stop jumping into Kat's arms every day. However, there was no reason she couldn't switch it up, and spin the Vampire around for once. She'd only been waiting outside her house for a few minutes when the front door opened, and Kat slowly walked outside.

Alicia pounced, wrapping her hands around Kat's waist and picking her up before spinning her around. "Ha! Gotcha!"

With a surprised shout, Kat froze up as Alicia picked her off the ground. She nervously laughed for a moment before she found her balance, her hands resting on Alicia's arms, and she looked down with a surprisingly solemn look on her face.

"Kat?" Alicia asked. "What's wrong? Did you not sleep well?"

"N-no, nothing like that," Kat muttered as Alicia set her down. "It's... well, is Roxy around?"

"No, I think she's been keeping to herself today. Why, what's up?"

"She was acting kinda weird last night. I found her crying on a nearby roof, and when I went to talk with her, she was asking all these weird questions about what happens when I drink peoples' blood. Then she asks if I wanted to feed on her, and she even pricked her neck to encourage me and..."

"Kat," Alicia said nervously, "how bad was it? Did you lose control?"

"That's the weird thing! At first, I did, but I stopped myself pretty soon after it started. I tried to pull away when she stopped me, trying to get me to keep drinking. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that she wanted me to... y'know." Kat made a vague hand gesture to avoid speaking the obvious.

"But she's okay, right? You're both alive and well?" Alicia asked.

Kat nodded. "Yeah, the last time I saw her, she was just heading back to get some sleep. The whole thing was just really weird, though. I have no idea what's going through her head."

"Maybe she found she enjoyed it? Haven't you said that some people are really into getting bit by Vampires?"

"I didn't really get that vibe, but maybe I'm wrong. Like, what if I'm just letting my own hangups about my race affect how I'm looking at it?"

"You know what?" Alicia started. "How about, once we're finished with the Dungeon, we sit down with her and hammer this out. I'll bet she's just nervous about the upcoming boss fight or something, so maybe things will be easier once we get the final Key!"

Kat buried her forehead into Alicia's shoulder and sighed. "Maybe that's it. We're all a little nervous, that's all."

After a soft, tender kiss, the two walked back to rejoin the rest of their friends. Tab was wearing a small backpack that Alicia had never seen before, sitting by the pond and chatting with Elias. Roxy appeared to have recently joined them as well, but she was dressed in her usual jet-black attire, and her high-necked cloak meant that Alicia was unable to see any potential bite marks from last night.

"Hey, Roxy, there you are!" Alicia said, running over to give the Rogue a hug. "I missed you today!"

"Y-yeah, I just... I wanted to sleep in. I was up late," Roxy muttered, averting her eyes towards the ground.

Alicia sat next to Roxy, then excitedly looked around at everyone else. "Who's ready for the big delve tonight? It's time to kick Dungeon Boss butt!"

"You guys are absolutely sure that Level Three is the last one?" Elias asked.

"I've never heard of a Key Dungeon having more than three levels," Roxy said.

"Yeah, me neither," Kat said, taking her own seat near the water's edge. "I, um, wasn't able to get to the city last night, unfortunately, so I wasn't able to buy any potions."

"Noted, and thanks for the heads up," Tab said. "Let's just make sure we're playing it safe down there. Given all the rest we've been taking, we should all be fully recovered, yeah?"

Everyone around the circle nodded, which filled Alicia with even more excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's suit up and get down there!"

No one raised any objections, so the team went their separate ways to retrieve their delving gear. Alicia helped Kat get ready, sneaking in several kisses and affectionate pinches as she did, and soon everyone was ready to go. They said their goodbyes to Elias, who requested updates via Kat's magic if possible, then started off towards the Dungeon.

They cleared the first Level in record time, now completely used to the layout and the monsters that lived there. The Second Level took a bit longer, as some of Alicia's flowers had gone missing over the last few days, but they managed to find the final doorway after roughly half an hour of wandering. They encountered a predictable smattering of monsters as they searched, but they moved with incredible precision and managed to avoid any serious injuries.

Roxy in particular seemed to be in tip-top shape, which Alicia found strange given that she'd offered up her blood only a day previously. She wasn't one to complain, however, and eagerly cheered on the Rogue as she backstabbed her way through many of the trickier monsters.

When they finally reached the door leading down to the Third Level, they were all in fantastic shape. What minimal injuries they sustained had been almost completely healed with the help of Kat's magic, and Alicia could barely contain her enthusiasm as they slotted in the wooden Totem that would open the door. It fit perfectly into place, as expected, and soon the tangled mess of pallid, ghastly roots had retreated into the surrounding Dungeon.

The cold, flat stone steps that led downstairs were obscured by darkness, as the myriad glowing mushrooms of the second floor didn't extend into the thin tunnel. Kat took point again, leading the party down the lengthy flight of stairs, and Alicia swore she could feel the party growing more tense with each step.

They walked for nearly ten minutes before the ground evened out. As with the previous floors, they found themselves in a thin, stone hallway that led away from the stairs. Thankfully, as they walked away from the staircase, ambient light started to appear. It wasn't the cold, blue light from the floor above them, nor did it have the vibrant warmth of the first floor. No, the light Alicia saw now was unnaturally still. It almost seemed like it had trouble breaching the ceiling above them. If anything, the third floor, more than any other, made Alicia feel like she was underground.

She felt silly thinking it. Obviously they were underground, and had been the whole time, but the previous floors had felt so lifelike. Their mysterious, ever-present light had completely sold the illusion that they were walking through a real forest, and Alicia had also felt the comfort of plant life all around her.

As they approached the first real chamber of the third floor, Alicia felt even more convinced of her initial suspicion. The ceiling above them, rather than appearing as a healthy canopy of leaves, now looked like a thick collection of roots and vines. The faux sunlight had trouble breaking through this barrier, leading to the entire floor being cast in an incredibly dim light. Alicia could still comfortably see, but if anything, this half-light was even more unsettling than the creepy glowing mushrooms from earlier.

Once Alicia had adjusted to the light, she finally directed her attention to the rest of the Level. The flat stone walls had once again given way to a patchwork collection of large tree trunks, but despite walking among them, Alicia didn't feel any comradery. Curious, Alicia slowed down, approached the closest tree, and placed a hand on it.

She gasped. Instead of strong, healthy wood, the tree beneath her touch was as hard as a rock. "These trees, they're completely petrified. This whole floor is dead."

Tab shuddered. "Blech. That's super on-brand for this Dungeon, but I still hate it."

"Is this going to affect you at all?" Kat asked, placing a reassuring hand on Alicia's shoulder.

Alicia shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. Although, this does mean I won't be able to use my affinity for nature to sense incoming threats. Let's make sure we're all extra alert, alright?"

"Actually, if that's the case, I've got a spell that should help out," Kat said. Alicia nodded enthusiastically, eager for any information they could get, and then Kat's fingers started dancing across the strings. The melody was short and sweet, no more than a few seconds, and it was followed by an incredibly subtle magical pulse that emanated out from the Vampire.

"Anything?" Roxy asked, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow.

"Something's up ahead. Something big," Kat muttered.

"Not too much of a surprise." Tab twirled a sword in her hand as she smirked. "We're here for a boss fight, so it's now or never, right?"

"Agreed," Alicia said. "Let's do this."

After a quick glance between everyone present, the girls started walking deeper into the Third Floor.

Alright, Alicia, keep it together. All the other monsters have just been animals with a weird fungal infection. Are there animals we haven't seen before? What kind of creature would be suitable for a Boss Fight? Kat said it was something big, but we've already seen a bear. Maybe... a rhino? They're not typically forest creatures, though. Ugh, just keep watch and focus!

Alicia shook her head and refocused on the forest ahead of her. The still, ominous dim lighting illuminated heavy clouds of dust around them as they walked, and Alicia was nervous about straying too close to them.

It's just dust. It's not a cloud of fungal spores. It's not trying to infect you the way it's infected all those monsters. It's not trying to puppet your body with sickening mycelium threads and make you attack your girlfriend and--

Something grabbed Alicia's arm and she yelped as she jumped up.

"Hey, easy there Alicia," Kat whispered. "Take a deep breath, we're here with you. It's gonna be alright."

"Ugh, sorry," Alicia muttered back. "The petrification is freaking me out, and on top of all the fungal spore nonsense... I hate it."

"This is our last day here, don't forget," Tab said, stepping closer.

"I know, I know. Once we finish off this boss, we're free to live our lives. No more mushroom zombies, no more hypnosis stags, no more--" Alicia froze. She'd just seen something shifting in the trees behind Kat. She grabbed Kat and quickly pulled the Vampire behind her. "Stay back. There's something here."

Roxy crouched low to the ground and crept forward. "Where? What did it look like?"

Alicia stepped closer as well, pointing her staff towards the trees. "That way. It almost looked like one of the trees was moving." Her eyes glued to the petrified forest in front of them, she kept walking. Every once in a while, she would see something out of the corner of her eyes, but she could never identify what was moving.

Nearly a minute passed before the group found themselves approaching a large clearing, similar to the chambers they'd seen on previous floors. This one, however, had no paths leading to other chambers, which could only mean one thing.

Every second that passed without confirmation of their enemy brought them closer to the center of the clearing. Thick, hazy light swirled around them, and every tree seemed a possible threat. Alicia hated not having plant life to enhance her senses, and sweat dripped down her forehead as her eyes darted from side to side. Her eyes settled on one tree in particular that seemed unusually shaped, but it took her a moment to figure out what she was unnerved about.

This tree wasn't touching the ground.

It had no roots, no thick base to support it, it simply tapered off into a barbed point several inches off the ground. Alicia's eyes followed the tree upwards, and she couldn't find a single branch or leaf attached to it. She eventually found a divergence in the main trunk where it split into three powerful segments, and when she glanced even higher, she found a pair of massive, glowing, serpentine eyes staring back at her.

She gasped and tried to call out to her companions, but the creature hissed and lunged towards her from the ceiling before she had a chance. Its mouth opened, exposing gleaming white fangs nearly the size of Alicia's legs, and she managed to summon a barrier at the last possible second.

The mouth of the massive snake, which had been attempting to close around Alicia, instead clamped down on her barrier, giving her just enough time to escape. The serpent's jaws trembled as it tried to destroy the wall, and before it could finish, she manifested a thick Wall of Thorns on both sides of her barrier. She dropped the connection to the bark and vines that kept her safe, allowing the monster to close its jaws, and smirked as thorns and explosive fruit pods began tearing into the snake's mouth. It recoiled in pain, its terrifying hiss filling the chamber, and Alicia wondered why none of her companions were taking advantage of the distraction to start attacking.

When she looked to her side, however, she saw they were distracted fighting monsters of their own. Two other snakes had appeared, one wrestling with Tab while the other chased Katrina through the air, and Alicia tried to retreat to give herself a better view of the battlefield.

Roxy was nowhere to be seen, which was good, and Alicia went to work keeping her companions safe. The snake that had been attacking her changed targets, now lunging at Kat, but Alicia summoned a barrier from the bracelet she'd given Kat earlier. A thick wall of bark and vines appeared, blocking the snake's attack, and she quickly coated the barrier with another Wall of Thorns. This time, however, the snake didn't clamp down and instead opened its jaws to retreat.

The other snakes did the same, pulling back for a moment and giving the party a chance to reset. Alicia did her best to watch all three creatures, upset that she had only noticed one of them before the attack, when she realized she wasn't entirely in the wrong.

As she traced the bodies of the three snakes, hoping to see how large they were, she saw each of their bodies eventually intersected. There weren't three separate creatures, it was one massive beast that had three heads, each seemingly able to move and think on its own. Its scales had the exact same color and pattern as the petrified trees, which explained her earlier confusion. Alicia took this brief moment of respite to check on Kat and Tab, and thankfully they both seemed to have avoided any significant injuries in the initial attack. She briefly caught a glimpse of Roxy, leaping through the shadows behind the Boss, and steeled her nerves.

"No holding back!" Tab shouted. "We give this thing everything we've got!"

Alicia heard Tab whisper something additional to herself, her muscles suddenly growing more defined as magic surged through her lithe body. She crouched low to the ground, moved to spring forward, and then vanished completely. The Mage Knight was moving faster than Alicia had ever seen before, so fast that it looked more like teleporting. She occasionally saw blurs of motion around the serpent, and whenever she did, deep cuts would appear as if by magic across its body.

Kat took to the sky, keeping a respectable distance from the Boss as she began playing her guitar. Alicia recognized the tune, it was one Kat used to heal the party, but this rendition was much more energetic. Additionally, small flourishes that danced over the main melody had been added, and each time Alicia heard one, she saw another magical effect appear from the guitar.

Leaping back, Alicia knew that her staff would likely do little against a beast of this size. She focused on watching her companions, tracing their movements and preparing barriers to absorb any incoming attacks. In their many training sessions, they had learned to block incoming strikes using the hand with one of Alicia's bracelets on it, which gave her plenty of opportunities to interject her barriers.

Behind the beast, Roxy leapt from a nearby tree with her blades ready, landing on one of the snake heads. She began tearing into its thick scales and, as another head prepared to strike, Alicia grew a large circular barrier from Roxy's bracelet. Heavy brambles covered the back of the barrier, and the second head was forced to suffer another barrage of barbs and explosive fruit pods to try and get to Roxy. Alicia shouted out just before dropping the barrier, which gave Roxy enough time to jump off the beast and retreat into the shadows again.

The injured head turned its eyes towards Alicia, and the entire body of the creature slithered closer to close the gap. The head lunged at her, but before its strike could land, a loud magical screech echoed through the chamber. The snake hissed with fury as it crashed to the ground, writhing back and forth as it tried to shake loose Kat's brief magical paralysis. Alicia took the chance to run forward and land her own flurry of blows on the creature, all while summoning a thick bramble patch around the fallen head.

"It's wearing off!" Kat shouted from above. As she did, she deflected a strike from another head, using her magic to shove the attack off course.

With a silent nod, Alicia jumped backwards away from the boss, watching as it prepared to re-enter the battle. Rather than lift upwards through her trap, sadly, it pulled back to minimize its own risk. The movement still triggered a few of her exploding fruits, but it escaped with far fewer scrapes than she'd hoped for.

The brief respite had given her time to put some space between her and it, thankfully. The party had, as a whole, seen that the boss only had so much range between its three connected heads, and had spread themselves out as much as possible.

After weeks of sparring and delving, they now moved like a well-oiled machine. Alicia had gotten much better at reading Tabitha's incredible speed, though her movements in this fight were even faster than Alicia was accustomed to. If nothing else, Tab knew to slow down when she needed defensive measures from Alicia, and she did her best to deflect incoming attacks when she could.

The boss seemed to be focusing more and more on Katrina, its own movements growing more frantic as the battle raged on. It pivoted its main body, the end of its massive tail darting through the air, and it managed to knock Katrina down from the sky.

"Kat!!" Alicia broke into a frantic sprint, trying to jump in front of Kat before the serpent could push its advantage.

A sickening thump filled Alicia's ears as she watched Kat collide with a petrified tree, and the music stopped as she fell to the ground. The beast continued circling, aiming two of its heads at them before opening wide. Instead of striking with its fangs, however, Alicia heard a strange clicking noise. A flap inside the snake's mouth opened, and it shot out a stream of thick, green acid that sizzled as it flew through the air.

Alicia threw up a barrier to block the acid, gasping in pain as some forced its way through her wall, hitting her skin. Even worse, this wasn't a short attack; the boss continued spraying a torrent of acid, with the second head joining in as well. Alicia was forced to completely surround herself and Kat, who was still recovering, as the thick, caustic liquid tried to break through.

She pulled up her status, desperately watching as her HP began quickly ticking down, and she hoped that Tab and Roxy would be able to stop this assault in time.

More and more acid dripped through the dome, and it seemed like the two heads had pivoted to opposing sides of them. Pain surged through her body as drips of acid found her skin, which began to shrivel and blacken. She screamed with pain, locking eyes with Kat as she pulled herself together.

From outside the barrier, the snake suddenly screeched with pain, and the torrent of acid stopped. Alicia immediately dropped the wall, gasping and falling to her knees.

"Alicia!" Kat screamed, pulling Alicia closer.

"HP's... at 23%..." Alicia muttered.

"She's running on fumes!" Kat shouted out.

As they tried to crawl back towards cover, Alicia looked up at the boss again. One of its heads had been completely severed, and it looked like Roxy and Tab were working in tandem to try and remove the second.

Kat grabbed Alicia's waist, carrying her behind a tree before gently setting her down. "Stay safe, only poke when you know there's an opening."

Alicia turned to look at Kat, ready to smile and thank her, when she heard Tab shout a warning from across the chamber.

With blazing speed, one of the two remaining serpent heads raced around the tree towards Kat. Her guitar went flying, and Alicia screamed in horror as she watched the beast nearly land on Kat. When the strike finished, however, Kat was completely safe. In her place, with a large fang lodged in her stomach, was Tab.

Terror gripped Alicia as she watched the snake begin to retreat. She knew she couldn't let the beast take advantage of Tab's immobility, and leapt towards the creature without so much as a second thought. As she did, she grabbed one of Tab's swords that had fallen to the ground, gripping it tight as she landed atop the creature's head. She began jamming the blade into the snake's face, trying desperately to keep it distracted long enough for someone to help Tab.

In the seconds she managed to buy, Kat had picked up her guitar again and released a flurry of panicked music, a combination of magic that assaulted and stunned the creature while Alicia continued attacking.

From behind the Dryad, a dark blur rushed forward as Roxy appeared again. Her own blades dripped with the serpent's blood, and she landed next to Alicia before sinking her knives into the boss's neck, preparing to sever this head as well. From this close, Alicia was able to see just how potent Roxy's Rogue abilities were, as her seemingly simple strike appeared to inflict far more damage than it should have.

The creature roared with pain as Roxy began dragging her knives to elongate the cut, and Alicia turned her attention to the third head. It had many injuries of its own, likely courtesy of Roxy, and Alicia focused on holding it back while they fought to free Tab.

She summoned an incredibly dense thicket of brambles and thorns, making sure that she didn't overextend her own HP. The thicket surrounded the party, and when the last head darted forward, it had no choice but to dive directly at Alicia's trap. She felt her HP draining as the walls broke and shattered, but so too did she hear a cacophony of explosive pods burrow into the snake's skin. Its attack slowed significantly as it pushed through the Wall of Thorns, but not as much as Alicia had anticipated. The same brambles that tore gashes into the serpent's head now blocked her from evading its attack.

The massive, serpentine maw opened wide as it attempted to grab Alicia, and her only option was to jam the mouth open using her staff. She felt the creature twitch as it tried to close around her, and she poured all of her abilities into reinforcing the wood that now kept her alive. Staring at the pink flesh of the creature's mouth, she saw thick tendrils of mycelium embedded in its skin. The tendrils pulsed with unnatural vigor, with more appeared by the second. They extended out from the darkness of the serpent's throat, growing and slithering as they tried to reach for Alicia.

While she stood her ground, she heard another shriek of anguish as Roxy finally severed the second head. The neck underneath Alicia's body grew limp, and she looked around to begin dispersing her Wall of Thorns. The flurried crescendo of Kat's music soared overhead, and blades of magic began assaulting the beast that was fighting to close its jaw. It was difficult to pick out specific voices as she held her ground inside the mouth, but she swore she heard Roxy and Tab coordinating their attacks. Seconds later, Alicia saw multiple steel weapons pierce the third head, causing it to screech in pain.

Alicia took the opportunity to leap out of the creature's mouth, desperate to avoid the fungal tendrils that had been twisting around her legs, and tumbled to the ground. Now free, she looked up at the rest of the party as they tried to finish off the creature. Kat's music was growing louder by the second, creating a torrent of sonic blades while also generating intense musical feedback that disoriented the boss.

Roxy and Tab shared a quick glance, then raced in opposite directions around the last neck. Roxy slid underneath while Tab leapt over, their blades sinking deep as they prepared to end the battle. The last head of the serpent twitched and shuddered, spurts of acid shooting from its jaw as it tried to free itself, but it had nowhere to escape. Its movements were slowing, its massive body crashing against the floor as it fought.

Racing forward, eager to finish the fight, Alicia coated the end of her staff with thick barbs, then jammed it into the creature's mouth. She pinned its tongue down, thorns digging deep into the soft flesh, and moments later, the head fell limp.

The three-headed serpent took its last breath. Its body twitched and flailed several more times, then finally fell still.

Within seconds, the body shuddered and vanished in a massive puff of smoke. Kat's music, previously the only noise filling the arena, was now joined by a soft tingle as hundreds of coins, monster bits, and other pieces of loot fell to the ground. There was a blur of activity across the treasure-laden floor, then Tab reappeared in Alicia's vision. She was crouched on all fours, skidding to a halt as she finally stopped moving. Her swords had clattered to the ground, and while one hand was clutching the massive wound in her stomach, the other was on her lower back, just under her small backpack.

"Tabitha!!" Alicia shouted, running forward. She got to Tab just before she collapsed, grabbing her arm before gently lowering her to the ground. Roxy ran in and skidded to a stop to support Tab's other side, while Kat gently floated down from the air, a soft melody still giving them all regeneration.

"I'm... I'm good," Tab said through gritted teeth. She spat out a bit of blood, then looked up with a smirk. "This is nothing, you should see some of the toys I manage to fit it me!"

"This isn't the time, Tab!" Roxy snapped. "What's your HP at? Are you going to be okay?"

"Relax, Knives, I'll be fine," Tab chuckled. "It looks worse than it is; I'm at 32%. As long as we take a small break and I get some Inspiration, I'll be fine."

A look of shock crossed Roxy's face, and she swallowed nervously before nodding. "T-that's good to hear. You were incredible out there, you know that?"

Tab started laughing, then immediately regretted it and winced in pain.

"Is that it?" Alicia asked, looking around. "It's over?"

"That's it," Tab muttered. She twisted around slightly, grimacing once more as she did, then held something up for everyone to see. In her hand was a small wooden key made of intertwining tree roots, with one side covered in beautiful pink cherry blossom petals. "This is your freedom, Alicia."

Alicia stared at the key in silence before a huge smile crossed her face. Her shoulders shook as she laughed once to herself, then immediately lost control. She began laughing louder and louder, taking the key for herself to feel it, ecstatic that their arduous Dungeon journey had finally come to an end. Once her laughter quieted down somewhat, she handed the key back to Tabitha, who tucked it securely in her bag.

"Let's not forget," Kat started, "that we still have to get out of here. You all need time for my Inspiration to work its magic, so let's take advantage of this empty chamber to rest and lick our wounds. I say we take at least half an hour, if not longer, to heal up. That should give us plenty of time to comb through all this loot, too, and get it packed up."

Everyone nodded in agreement, happily settling in as they let Kat's dulcet, healing music wash over them.

---

The trek back to the surface was surprisingly quiet. They saw fewer monsters than they had expected, and when they did appear, Roxy made quick work of them. She was the least injured of everyone in the party and moved with surprising efficiency as she assured everyone a safe path out of the Dungeon.

Kat's Inspiration continued for the entire journey, and by the time they approached the exit tunnel, Alicia already felt much better. She was still incredibly weak, and no doubt her body would be screaming in protest tomorrow morning, but she was alive.

Leaving the Dungeon was a bittersweet affair. The boss fight had been harrowing, sure, but the looming specter of change now hovered in her thoughts. Even if the Dungeon remained, life was about to change; Elias wouldn't be able to stick around, Tab probably wouldn't be delving with them anymore. Alicia also hadn't gotten an answer from Roxy about possibly moving into the neighborhood, something she was hoping to talk about in the morning.

As they stood in the decrepit basement under a destroyed manor, spirits were high. The tension had left the group, and Tab had even sheathed her swords for the night. Roxy seemed unusually quiet when compared to her normal, bubbly self, but nothing else seemed out of place.

"Kat, before we head outside, can you step out for two seconds and use your magic to check for monsters?" Roxy asked quietly. "Sometimes killing a boss causes monsters to develop a nasty sense of wanderlust."

"Absolutely, Rox!" Kat said with a smile. She walked up the basement stairs with her guitar at the ready, then quickly played a small melody to scan the surrounding area.

After a quick nod of gratitude to Roxy, who was digging through her backpack, Alicia turned to look at the Dungeon again. Tab joined in as well, the two girls leaning against each other as they stared at the cold stone hallway. "Crazy to think about everything that's happened. When this stupid Dungeon appeared, I had no idea it was such a hot commodity and was mostly scared about monsters damaging my roots. I really can't thank you all enough for helping me through this."

"Now's the fun part!" Tab said excitedly. Kat's music had stopped playing in the background. "We get to march into Dungeon Camp with the key and sell it! You're going to be rolling in coin for a while, that's for sure."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Roxy said from behind them.

Confused, Alicia turned around. "Roxy, what do you--"

Alicia froze. Kat was standing at the bottom of the staircase, her guitar resting on the floor in front of her, and her eyes were wide in shock. Two powerful knives were crossed in front of her throat, and they appeared to be covered in a strange, clear liquid. A drop formed at the edge of one of the blades, and when it fell onto Kat's neck, her Vampiric skin sizzled. Behind her, holding the knives with a blank stare on her face, was Roxy.

Tab started to walk forward. "Roxy, what the f--"

"Not another step!" Roxy shouted. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be!"

Alicia's stomach plummeted; her eyes began welling up as she locked eyes with Kat. "Roxy... why? We were gonna be neighbors! You let Kat bite you last night!!"

A tear fell down Roxy's cheek. "You should have finished me off, Kat. It would have been better for everyone."

Kat winced as another drop of holy water fell to her neck. "It'sAshes, isn't it?"

Roxy nodded slowly. "... Yeah. They want the key, but when they learned that you weren't hiring any Guilds, they needed to get creative."

"But you left!" Alicia shouted, throwing her staff to the floor. "What about everything you told us? About the Beastkin you tried to save, the money you tried to steal, getting caught... was that all a lie? Just some sap story you threw together to tug at our heartstrings?"

"It was all true," Roxy muttered. She took a step backwards, inching closer to the stairwell. "Every word of it. I tried to leave them, but they caught me. The only difference is that they wouldn't let me leave. They forced me to stay with them, holding everything I'd done for them over my head to keep me in line. I hate them, Alicia. I hate them more than anything in the world, but if I try to leave, they'll kill me. I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice, Roxy!" Kat said, still struggling to keep the blades as far from her neck as possible. "We can help you!"

A sickening laugh echoed out from Roxy, who shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, but you can't. No matter what you think, no matter how strong you manage to get, no one can stand up toAshes. You think I haven't spent years trying to free myself? Desperately searching for a way to escape? It's impossible!"

Her words rang through the empty basement for a moment before Tab spoke up. "There's more to this, isn't there? You let Alicia and Kat get to you."

"It was supposed to be easy!" Roxy screamed, tears now streaming down her face. "Just help you all get to the boss, steal the key, and leave! But then I... I let my guard down. Instead of making up a new personality, I let myself be... well, myself. I dropped the mask I've been wearing ever since I tried to leaveAshes."

Alicia fell to her knees. "Please, Roxy, just let Kat go! Whatever you do, don't hurt her!!"

Roxy avoided her gaze as Alicia pleaded, instead looking to Tab. "All I need is the key! That's the only way to keepAshes away from you!"

Holding up her hands, Tab slowly began reaching into her bag to retrieve the key. "Let's just take a deep breath, Roxy. We all know you don't want to hurt Kat, and all Alicia wanted was to keepAshes away from her roots. We have no reason not to give you the key."

"Stop!" Roxy shouted again, her eyes darting between Tab and Alicia. "Alicia, you do it. Tab, keep your hands in the air, and if I see so much as a flinch in my direction...."

With another nod, Tab looked towards Alicia. "Do as she says, Cherry Blossom. I couldn't stop her even if I tried. Out of curiosity, Roxy, what level are you? Really?"

"I... I'm Level 14," Roxy whispered.

"What?!" Kat gasped. "But my Scan told me--"

"I know what your Scan told you," Roxy said, cutting Kat off. "It's an advanced Rogue ability, one that lets us deflect Scans and feed them wrong information. I didn't think you all would trust me if I were too high leveled."

Alicia crawled to her feet, her legs shaking as she reached into Tab's backpack. She felt a few things inside, mostly various rations and mundane healing items, though there was one larger item she didn't recognize. Underneath it was the Dungeon Key, which Alicia quickly pulled out before showing Roxy. "I'm gonna bring this over, okay? You know for a fact there's nothing I can do to stop you, so please... please don't..."

Roxy said nothing, instead holding out a hand for the key. Alicia placed the key in her palm, and they locked eyes for a moment before Roxy finally spoke up. "I'm sorry, Alicia. Kat. For everything. I wish things could have turned out differently."

Fury filled Alicia's heart, and she scowled at Roxy. "Just leave. Leave and never come back."

Her words seemed to sting more than she'd intended. Roxy winced in pain as she tucked the key into her own pouch, then she pulled out a small spherical object. "I'm sorry..." she muttered one last time. She gripped the object tight, then threw it on the ground where it exploded into a cloud of smoke.

The next thing Alicia heard was a flurry of movement, a clash of steel, and then Kat screaming out in pain. Although she couldn't see anything, she ran forward to reach out for Kat and managed to catch her as she fell to the ground.

"Kat! Kat, what happened!" Alicia shouted. Kat's body was unusually heavy, as if she didn't have the strength to hold herself up.

"Ali... I..." Kat gasped. They were close enough to see each other, despite the smoke, and Alicia saw a trail of blood dripping from Kat's mouth. She repositioned Kat to rest on her legs, and when she did, she felt a similarly warm liquid dripping from Kat's back.

"Tab! Tab, we need healing!!"

Seconds later, the smoke cleared seemingly of its own accord. Tab was standing at the top of the stairs, one of her swords dripping with blood, and she held Roxy's backpack in her hand. She turned back to look at Alicia and Kat, then gasped in horror. "Fangs!!"

A desperate question filled Alicia's eyes, and Tab nodded without saying a word. She handed Roxy's backpack to Alicia, gently pulled Kat into her arms, then vanished in a flash.

Alicia turned around, grabbed her staff, then followed suit, sprinting as fast as she could to join Kat at Elias's pond.

It's not too late, Kat's gonna be okay. Roxy would never... right?

In the distance, she heard Elias scream in panic. There was a splash of water, then silence. It took far too long for Alicia to return home, and when she did, she saw Kat lying partially in the water, her back partially submerged in magically-charged water. Elias was holding perfectly still as he traced his hands over the terrible injury, muttering something to himself as he worked.

Alicia threw everything to the ground and knelt in front of Kat. "Kat! Please, hold on!"

The Vampire's movements were incredibly slow, and her eyes were dim as she looked up at Alicia. "Ali... I don't know... this is really bad."

"Kat, please... I love you!" Alicia whispered, cupping the side of Kat's face.

"I love you too, Alicia, more than anything. You've made me the happiest I've ever been," Kat whispered back. Her voice grew weaker with each word it spoke. "... I-I don't know if Elias's magic is strong enough."

Alicia wept as she continued pleading, holding Kat tight as she did. Tab appeared beside her, falling to the ground in pain. She appeared to have new injuries of her own, and when she landed, a backpack fell beside Alicia. It wasn't hers, however, it was Roxy's. "Alicia. Look inside Roxy's backpack."

"Tab, this isn't the time!!" Alicia shouted.

Instead of responding, Tab winced in pain as she clutched her side. Alicia hated the thought of letting go of Kat, even for just a moment, but finally she relented. She pulled Roxy's bag close, ripping it open and dumping the contents on the ground. It was filled with mostly random things, but as Alicia sifted through the pile, a reflective glint caught her eye. She pulled out a small vial filled with dull red liquid and gasped.

"Is this...?"

Elias looked up, wiping sweat off his brow as he did. He gasped, his shock mirroring Alicia's. "Let me see! I can check if it's good!" As he kept the healing magic flowing, Alicia pulled the cork out of the vial and held it up to Elias's nose. He took a quick sniff, then nodded.

Moving as quickly and carefully as she could, Alicia held Kat's face in her hands again. The Vampire seemed to be on death's door, her skin even more pallid than usual, and Alicia held the vial to her lips. "Please. Please don't let it be too late..."

The red liquid passed into Kat's mouth, the soft muscles in her neck pulling it into her body. The seconds ticked on, the still silence filled only with the soft buzzing of Elias's healing magic. Alicia continued holding Kat's head, whispering sweet nothings to her as she leaned closer, touching their noses together as she pleaded silently for a future together.

Kat's breathing stopped, and Alicia gasped. She pulled back, attempting to meet Kat's gaze, but the Vampire's eyes had closed entirely.

No.

Please.

A loud, sickening gasp filled the clearing as Kat's body began seizing and retching. She began coughing uncontrollably and her hands grabbed Alicia's thighs to steady herself. Alicia returned the favor, holding Kat's head in her lap as she began weeping with joy.

It took several minutes for the coughing fit to quiet down, and once it did, Kat finally looked up at the group. "That... was the worst thing I've ever tasted."

Alicia leaned down and kissed Kat over and over, laughing hysterically as she did. She wanted to say something, to express just how relieved she was, but every word that attempted to leave her mouth became an incomprehensible whimper.

With a loud grunt, Kat turned to face Elias before falling backwards into Alicia's lap again. As she did, Elias cut off his healing magic and leapt out of the pond, taking a seat next to the two of them as he started digging through Roxy's things. After a few seconds, he found a small dagger, then took a deep breath and brought the blade to his wrist. He carefully made a small incision before sliding closer and holding the wound to Kat's mouth.

The Vampire's eyes opened wide as he did, and she grabbed Elias's arm tight to pull it even closer. When coupled with the restorative powers of the healing potion, the Mermaid's blood seemed to bring even more color back to her face.

Over the next several minutes, Kat continued pulling blood from Elias's wrist while Tabitha pulled her armor off and slid into the water. Once she was comfortably submerged, and leaning against Elias, he returned his free hand to the water and started healing her as well. The glowing, humming water seemed to relax everyone present, and Alicia teared up one last time as she looked at their strange little party of misfits, all huddled together in the strangest, bloodiest hug imaginable.

Kat eventually pushed Elias's hand away, sitting up slightly to cuddle even more directly against Alicia. "Alright, Elias, any more and you'll start to get dizzy. Plus, and I mean this with all the love in the world, but you taste kinda fishy."

The comment seemed to catch everyone off guard, and soon the entire group had fallen to a fit of laughter. They all leaned against each other until the fit passed, at which point Elias cleaned himself up and jumped back into the water. There, he began tending to Tab's injuries with more intent, and the Foxgirl leaned her head back to let him work.

Scared about what she might hear, Alicia swallowed her fear and spoke up. "Tab... why did you ask me to search Roxy's bag? How did you know she would have a potion?"

"I didn't, at least not entirely," Tab muttered. "But I had a hunch. I've never trusted her, you all know that, but I could tell that something was changing with her. She was growing more relaxed, and she seemed to be growing closer and more distant at the same time. Wow, Scales, that feels amazing..."

"But why the potion? Why attack Kat at all? We would have let her leave!" Alicia said.

"I have a theory about that, actually." Tab paused, looking back over at Kat. "If we assume Roxy was being truthful about everything, then there's no way Ashes actually trusts her. With that in mind, they probably have measures to ensure that Roxy isn't trying to double-cross them, and with a Guild as powerful as they are, there's no way they don't have access to truth magic. The way things played out just now... she can truthfully say, even under magical compulsion, that Kat should have died from that attack."

"But, in the struggle, if she happened to lose her backpack..." Kat muttered, looking over the scattered debris from Roxy's bag. "That would make sense. Someone at her level, with her training, she easily could have instantly killed me. By using holy water, by picking the perfect spot, she gave me as much time as possible."

"You really think that?" Alicia asked, a scowl on her face. "She literally stabs you in the back, and you want to give her the benefit of the doubt?"

"There's no way to know, Cherry Blossom," Tab said, turning around in the water. "But, at the end of the day, Fangs is alive, and Ashes has no reason to come here. You're safe, isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Unsure what to say, Alicia hugged Kat close and nuzzled her face into her lover's neck. After a moment of thought, she finally whispered, "I guess. It would have been cool to bring the Key to the Camp, though. I'll admit, I was kinda looking forward to it."

A soft chuckle filled the clearing, and Tab briefly crawled out of the water to grab her backpack. "Do me a favor, Fangs. Tell me what's inside this."

Cuddled up against Alicia, Kat began rummaging through Tab's bag. "Um, sure. Looks like we've got some rations, a first aid kit, a bottle of... lube? Really Tab?"

The Foxgirl laughed as she slid back into the water. "Keep digging!"

Kat shook her head as she put the lube back into the bag. The next item she pulled out was the same one Alicia had felt earlier. It appeared to be a slick, reflective crystal with a dull, multicolored iridescence to it. It almost looked like some kind of bismuth crystal, as its myriad different edges had formed into crisp, clean geometric patterns. Kat held it up, a confused look on her face as she spoke. "I don't understand. What is this?"

Tab smirked with unusual satisfaction. "It's the Dungeon Key. The real one."

"Wait, you mean--" Alicia started.

"Yup. Like I said, I never fully trusted her, but I knew that the time to betray us would be at the last possible moment. I really hoped she wouldn't, but just in case, I had the other one made. The instant the boss died I swapped out the real key with my fake."

"Can't they tell?" Kat asked, leaning forward. "I mean, with how much power and influence they have..."

"I've got connections of my own, don't forget. I spoke with a few delvers, consulted old pictures of Dungeon Keys, and called in a favor from one of my fans out in Alaska. The only way to find out the other one is a fake is to dive all the way to the deepest level and attempt to use it to open the door."

"Tab! That's incredible!!" Alicia pulled the Foxgirl closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and squeezing her tight. Kat joined in as well, clearly ecstatic about the idea.

From the water's edge, Elias cleared his throat. "What's stopping them from retaliating?"

"Psh, and admit they sent an agent to infiltrate us? Breaking city law and bypassing the rule giving exclusive access to whoever finds the Dungeon? I think they'll hold a grudge, but now we've got blackmail on them." Tabitha paused, sinking into Alicia more than she ever had before. Her voice sank slightly, and Alicia swore she saw a hint of vulnerability. "I really hoped she wouldn't, Cherry Blossom. I'm not gonna lie, this is hitting me harder than I thought it might."

"Funny," Alicia whispered back, "here I thought I was the sentimental one. Look on the bright side, now we get to watch Ashes humiliate themselves before marching into camp with the real Dungeon Key."

Tab quietly chuckled. "That almost makes it worth it. Almost."

The four of them stayed by the water's edge for much longer than any of them had initially intended. Elias continued to offer healing, and Tab even ran back to the Dungeon entrance to grab Kat's guitar so she could start playing again.

The Vampire picked a bittersweet tune, one that lamented the events of the evening while still celebrating their hard-fought success. To everyone's surprise, however, her music had little in common with her typical classical repertoire. It sounded much more recent, and after the introductory verse, she took a deep breath and started to sing.

Alica gasped when Kat started, as she'd never heard her girlfriend sing before. Her words shook with inexperience, but they were filled with raw emotion to a degree that caught Alicia even further off guard.

She sang long into the night, her music soothing the wounds of everyone present while she poured her heart and soul into her performance. Despite how exhausted Alicia was, the emotional turmoil of the night made it impossible to feel tired. She would have gladly stayed here forever, lost in Kat's music with her closest friends, had the world not decided to continue turning.

In the distance, the thick shroud of night slowly began to melt away, replaced with the dull orange glow of morning. It was a sight that normally filled Alicia with glee, but tonight it carried the bittersweet promise that she needed to leave the events of the night behind her.

With a Vampire girlfriend, however, that was an easy choice to make. They said goodnight to Elias, who had already started nodding off at the water's edge, then walked with Tabitha back to Alicia's house.

It was far too late for Tabitha to walk home, but she insisted she'd gotten quite used to the couch in the living room. After another goodnight, Alicia and Kat found themselves alone at last. When they crawled under the covers, Kat buried her face in Alicia's shoulder and began to weep. Her body shook and shuddered in the Dryad's arms, and she released all the fear she'd been bottling up ever since staring death in the face and managing to walk away the victor.

By the time the two girls were able to speak in coherent sentences without breaking into tears again, the sun had nearly finished creeping over the horizon. Alicia felt the warmth of daylight seeping into her branches, and she gently played with Kat's hair as they spoke.

"I'll need to head back home soon, pick up more things," Kat muttered, seemingly on the verge of passing out. "I'm running out of clean clothes."

Alicia paused, thinking over the statement while an idea formed in her mind. "What if you picked up everything?"

Kat arched her neck to look at Alicia. "Everything?"

"Everything! Your clothes, your furniture, all of it."

"But that would mean... wait, are you serious?"

Alicia nodded, grabbing Kat's hands. "I love you, Kat. More than anything in the world. There's nothing I want more than to spend every waking moment I have with you. Will you move in with me?"

Without hesitation, Kat pushed her lips to Alicia's, both girls struggling to properly enjoy each other through their massive smiles.

"Yes! A million times yes!" Kat muttered through her laughter.

It took a few minutes for their fit of giggling to calm down, and when they did, exhaustion finally took hold. They turned to their sides, Kat's back to Alicia, who in turn hugged her Vampire girlfriend close. Swaddled tight in their pile of blankets, they nuzzled against each other as they softly hummed with affection.

"I love you, Kat."

"I love you too, Alicia."

Safe in each other's arms, the two girls finally fell asleep. Outside, the birds began to chirp, the squirrels began to chitter, and the symphony of the morning began to swell.

It was the dawn of a new day.

THE END

---

"What do you mean, 'The End?' What happens next??"

Whatever you want, Alicia. You conquered the Dungeon, beat the boss, and got the girl. I would say that's a pretty clean ending.

"Awfully reductive to refer to me as simply 'the girl', Nyx. I thought you were better than that."

You both got the girl, which you're both the girl! Personally, I'd be flattered if I ever got to be "The girl" in someone else's story. That sounds pretty cool.

"Okay, but seriously, you can't just end things here! Do we get to go rub our victory in Ashes' face? Do we keep delving? What happens with Roxy?"

"I'm with Alicia on this one, Nyx."

Not every story ends perfectly, you two. Sometimes there are loose threads, sometimes people get away with bad things. What's important is that you both survived, and you're free to live your lives. Think of all the privacy you'll have now that I'm not narrating everything!

"What about my music? I've really enjoyed sharing it with everyone."

Aww, don't tell me I've grown on you, Katrina.

"Well... that's not... I just like having a captive audience. But, um... you can call me Kat, if you want."

"Awww, Kat! You're so adorable, I just want to eat you up!"

Alright you two, let's tone down the affection. You'll have all the time in the world to shower each with love and kisses once the cameras are off. Metaphorically speaking, obviously.

"Tell them all about your last song, Kat! She picked a really fun one!"

Yeah? Is she going to sing for us?

"Oh no, no no no, that was something special, just for the delving party. Today, for the final chapter, I wanted to play Grande Sonata in A Major by Niccolò Paganini."

Ooh, Paganini? Fun fact for our audience, but he was an immensely talented violinist. He was so good, he's actually originated the myth of people selling their souls to the Devil in exchange for musical talent.

"That's right! There are actually variations of this Sonata that incorporate violin, so make sure you find one that's strictly a guitar piece. There are three movements in total; Allegro risoluto, Romanza, and Andantino Variato. It's a pretty standard setup, with two upbeat pieces at the start and end, with a slower piece in the middle. I'll admit, it doesn't perfectly track to the emotions of this chapter, but it's a very complicated piece. Paganini has always favored very technically challenging passages, and this chapter was certainly a challenge."

"Hey, Nyx, what about you? If you could give the audience a song, what would you recommend?"

Me? Hm. If you'll allow me to be a bit greedy, I think I'd recommend my favorite piece of classical music: Dmitri Shostakovich's 5th Symphony. It's certainly a lengthy piece of music--the four movements combined take about an hour--but it's a spectacular piece. There's an incredible amount of emotion packed into it, and I had the honor of performing it live a few years back.

"Wait, you're a musician?"

Ha, not anymore. My real talent is writing. However, it does look like we're running out of time here. Any last words for our lovely audience before we part ways?

"I hope you enjoyed my music! I know classical guitar isn't for everyone, but I tried to pick exciting pieces that show off how much fun the instrument can be."

"Gosh, what to say? I'm so happy that so many people got to share in this exciting journey with us. It went in a bunch of unexpected directions, but we made so many cool new friends, and I personally consider the audience a friend too! Oh, and a super special shout-out to OtterlyMindblowing! He's a swell guy, a great writer, and without him this story wouldn't exist! Go read his stuff!"

I heard that, if you play your cards right, he might let you meet TheSexiestSlayer.

"Wait, seriously? Both of us?"

Well, she was watching Tab's Bite Stream, after all.

"Oh my god, Kat, that would be so cool! How do we make that happen?!"

I'll put in a good word and see what happens, alright? It's time for our final goodbyes, sadly.

"Goodbye everyone!"

"Tab and Elias say bye too!"

Until next time! Nyx <3