Blood & Chlorophyll

The "Becoming Monsters" LitRPG setting was originally created by AiLoves, and is now managed by OtterlyMindblowing.

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"Oh! That's Tabitha!" Katrina said. She leaned in for one last kiss, then grabbed Alicia's hand and led her downstairs. As excited as she was to spend so much time with her girlfriend tonight, she couldn't deny she was almost just as excited to start seriously talking about the Dungeon.

Answering the front door, they were greeted by the familiar face of an Arctic Fox Beastkin. She smiled as Katrina pulled the door open, though her bright blue eyes immediately glanced down to focus on the fact that Alicia and Katrina were holding hands. "Good evening, ladies! I trust I'm not interrupting anything, am I? You're just friends, if I remember correctly."

Alicia pushed past Katrina, playfully poking Tabitha's arm as she spoke. "Oh hush. I'll have you know we're officially dating now!"

Tabitha sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. I'm not a Succubus, but I swear I could smell the pheromones drifting off the two of you. I spent the whole walk over here wondering if I would have to play matchmaker before anything productive could happen."

"I understand you're partially to thank for that?" Katrina asked.

"Hey, you're hot. I'd be punching myself if I had a chance with you and didn't take it. I just figured I'd give Cherry Blossom here fair warning."

"Okay, well, as much as we all want to talk about how hot my girlfriend is, we should probably actually get some work done, right?" Alicia said.

Katrina was furiously blushing. She knew people found her attractive, but being the center of attention like this wasn't something she was really used to. "Yes! Please, let's talk about this Dungeon!"

Tabitha let loose a hearty laugh. "Alright, I get the picture. Where should I put my stuff? I brought all my delving gear."

"Let's head inside, my living room will be big enough for all of us," Alicia said. Soon enough, the three girls were settling in to prepare for their planning session. Tabitha and Alicia took opposing ends of the couch, and Katrina pulled up a chair so they wouldn't have to talk over each other.

"So, how do we start?" Alicia asked. "I think I know the least about all this stuff."

"Tabitha, I think you should tell us what you can do. You already know Alicia's a Bulwark, and I'm a Regen Bard, so there's nothing else to really tell. Once I hit Level Three, I'll get some Spellcasting, but that's it." Katrina leaned forward, trying to play it cool while also immensely curious what a Mage Knight's build might look like.

"That's fair, my Class isn't exactly common. Well, to get the basics out of the way, I'm a Level Three Mage Knight. I'm built to be an Agility Fighter, with an emphasis on swordplay."

"Just swordplay?" Katrina asked. "What about the magic side? The biggest strength of Mage Knights is that they can effortlessly weave magic into their fighting styles."

"You really know your stuff, don't you," Tabitha said with a smirk. "Yes, magic plays a big part. Some Mage Knights put more emphasis on the magic than the fighting, but I'm the other way around. My defining Class Feature is called Dimensional Blades. Anytime I make an attack, I can transpose the space around my sword to make it hit anything I can see. The farther my target, the more mana it takes, so it's still a good idea for me to get close. I also have a bunch of spells that let me enhance my Ten, and since I'm Beastkin, they're extra effective."

Katrina paused for a moment, thinking over everything the Foxgirl was saying. She'd never heard of a Mage Knight leaning so far away from the magic side of things. "And fighting experience? How did you hit Level Three?"

"Honestly, mostly through cam work. Like I mentioned before, I had a fan that really liked seeing me in Dungeon gear, but I've got a bunch of people that like seeing me in action. I rent out gym space regularly, mostly places that have obstacle courses, freerunning tracks, climbing walls, things like that. Fans get to vote on what I wear, though it normally just boils down to which color bikini they like the most."

"And that's why you registered as a Delver?"

"Yup! I did a subathon a while back, and we had a bunch of stretch goals. One of them was that I'd officially register, another was that I'd collab with an experienced delver. I actually made a couple videos with him, some focused on combat training, and some were... well, also very physical, just less clothed."

Looking over at Alicia, Katrina saw her blushing like mad. No doubt she wasn't used to people openly talking about cam work like this. "So, we're all fairly inexperienced. Key Dungeons are normally a bit easier, which will certainly help. On my end, until I get my Bardic Spellcasting, I'm only good for Regen. That being said, I can't pick multiple types, I can either give out health or mana, and it sounds like there's no easy answer. Alicia would benefit more from the health, but you would rather the mana, I assume?"

Tabitha nodded. "The more MP I have, the easier it is to stay out of harm's way. Plus, the more distance between myself and the monsters, the easier it will be for Alicia to throw up her barriers."

"Don't forget that my barriers cost health," Alicia said, finally chipping in. "Even in the best-case scenario, where no one ever gets hit, I'll still be constantly losing HP."

"I can also switch back and forth, it's not that difficult," Katrina said. "I'm mostly worried about Tabitha running out of mana at a critical moment. Though, since you have such a large emphasis on your physical abilities, I think giving out HP Regen is going to be the better call. I'll default to that, and you can just call out when you need mana."

"Sounds fair to me. Running out of mana sucks, but it's survivable. Running out of HP? Not so much." Tabitha shifted in her seat, pulling her legs underneath her before leaning forward. "Now, I understand you both are pretty low on experience, which means we could probably knock out a few levels just by sparring amongst ourselves, right?"

Katrina nodded in agreement. "That was my plan. We need to familiarize ourselves with how we move as a group, get used to calling shots, things like that. We have the whole neighborhood to ourselves, and I was thinking you two would benefit the most from going up against each other."

"Wait, me? Why do I have to fight the Mage Knight?" Alicia said.

"I agree with Katrina, to be honest," Tabitha said. "I need to practice attacking, and you need to practice defending. You also need to be the most familiar with my movements, since you'll be the one keeping me safe. Bulwarks are weird, they don't have to be on the front lines in order to block damage, but you still need to know how to move when you're under attack."

After a brief pause, Tabitha continued speaking. "Honestly, you should consider getting a weapon. I'll be able to put out a decent amount of damage, but I can't be responsible for literally all of it. On that note, what kind of equipment are we dealing with? You're not planning on delving in jeans and a tee shirt, are you?"

Katrina blushed in embarrassment, having honestly forgotten about protective gear. "Um, I hadn't gotten there yet. Money's pretty tight, and I was trying to find people to help. We only just got our licenses last night; things are moving pretty fast."

"I don't wear clothing anymore, but I was planning on growing some thick bark around myself. I could probably make, like, a club or something too?" Alicia held out her arm, concentrated for a moment, then watched as dark patches of bark grew out of her skin. She tapped it with her knuckles, then smiled in satisfaction.

"So, I only need to dress Fangs here, hm." Tabitha went quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. "I think I might have something you can wear, actually. I get sent a lot of stuff, and sometimes fans mess up the measurements. You're roughly my size, apart from, well, you know." The Foxgirl gestured to her chest, her meaning all too obvious.

When Katrina spoke up, her face had turned red again. "Okay, yes, I get it. I've got some sports bras I was planning on wearing, we'll figure it out."

With another hearty laugh, Tabitha continued. "I like you two! Y'all seriously need to get out more, but I'm already having a blast. You ready to get started?"

"I suppose we might as well," Alicia said. Katrina could tell the Dryad was feeling somewhat apprehensive, and when everyone stood up, she grabbed her hand for reassurance. The two of them walked outside while Tabitha took a few minutes to strap on her delving gear.

"Hey, it's going to be alright, Alicia. This is practice, she's not trying to hurt you. You just need to focus on her movement, and get used to using your barriers to block her attacks. How do those work, by the way? They need to come from the ground?"

"That's what I normally do, but I can actually have them extend directly from my body. That really only helps if I'm being attacked myself, or I'm defending someone next to me, though. Ideally I'd want to give her some space to move around, and just summon the barriers whenever I see something attacking her."

Katrina pulled Alicia in for a hug, kissing her forehead softly. "You're going to do great. And besides, even if you get a couple bruises, I can give you some regen."

Alicia wrapped her hands around Katrina's waist, squeezing tight. "Thanks, Kat. I also have Regeneration if I'm in the sunlight, so we have options."

"Really? Wow, that's really helpful. Maybe I should consider waking up earlier so we can start tackling the Dungeon during the day. I'll get, like, a giant umbrella or something."

As the two of them laughed, the door behind them opened. Tabitha was now wearing a full set of delving gear. It looked fairly lightweight, as presumably heavier equipment would make it difficult to engage with her Agility focused build. Interestingly, had Katrina not spent years obsessing over various delving influencers, she would have thought the costume was purely aesthetic. Most of the outfit was covered with simple, striking blue coloration that accentuated Tabitha's lithe body, and gold highlights helped the design pop. Two short panels extended from the front and back of the outfit, falling between her legs while also giving her plenty of freedom to move around. The armored sections were focused on her upper body, mostly her chest and her shoulders, and the design almost made her look like a Musketeer. "Alright, who's ready to rumble?! I brought my sword with me, but I won't be using it. Alicia, do you think you could grow each of us a large stick or something?"

With a resolute nod, Alicia reached for the ground beneath her. Within moments, two thick branches had appeared, even sporting vague suggestions of a handle and guard. She pulled them free, handing one to Tabitha before walking out to the middle of the street. "Can we start slow?"

"Sure thing, Cherry Blossom. How about you pull up a barrier, and I'll practice hitting it." Tabitha paused for a moment before continuing. "Actually, if we're going to do that, maybe I should grab my sword."

The Mage Knight ran inside, returning with her weapon of choice. It appeared to be quite well made, though Katrina wasn't familiar enough with weaponry to properly identify all the different types of swords. She guessed it was some kind of saber, or maybe a cutlass? It was curved, with a slightly thicker blade and a guard with gold inlays. She walked until she was roughly twenty feet in front of Alicia, then turned around and spoke up again.

"Alright, gimme a target. It'll be good to let you see how this ability works."

Alicia nodded, then summoned a barrier roughly halfway between her and Tabitha. "Have at it!"

With a smirk, Tabitha began slashing the air in front of her. It looked like she was simply practicing her form, except her sword blurred slightly with each slash. The air around the blade distorted, reminiscent of the effects of strong heat waves, and Alicia's barrier began to twitch. Katrina moved closer to Tabitha to get a better look, and could see that each one of her attacks inflicted a matching cut on the barrier.

"Wow, that's really something," Katrina said. "And you can do that from as far away as you like?"

"I have to be able to see my target. Anything that obscures my vision will be a problem: other people, smoke, illusions, even these barriers. My own eyesight is also a factor; my Perception is nothing special, even with bonuses. I'll be strongest in wide open spaces where I can constantly reposition, and weakest in the opposite. Another important fact? I'm a bit of a glass cannon, my Health stat is trash, and I can't level it."

The barrier vanished into the ground, and Alicia spoke up next. "But no pressure, right?" She laughed nervously, then picked up her makeshift club. "I think I'm ready when you are. Just remember that I've never been in a fight before."

Without warning, Tabitha crouched down and lunged at the Dryad. Her speed was incredible, and she closed the distance in a blink of an eye. Alicia screamed in surprise, throwing up a small barrier from her hands. The Mage Knight, however, had swerved at the last second, circling around Alicia and tapping her thigh with the flat of her blade. After this burst of movement, they both stopped to look at each other, then Tabitha tapped Alicia two more times. "Two for flinching, Cherry Blossom."

"I-I wasn't ready! I mean, I was, but I didn't think you were just going to charge me like that!" Alicia said, clearly flustered.

"Hey, that's how fighting works. Still, I wasn't actually trying to start anything, I just wanted a quick demonstration. Let me put my sword away, and I'll grab my club to walk you through some basics." Tabitha smirked, then walked back to the house to swap out her weaponry.

"You got this Alicia!" Kat said, jogging close to deliver a kiss for inspiration. "She's just trying to show you that fights are unpredictable."

"Ugh, I know, it's just... this is all so real now. It used to be you and me awkwardly pretending like we weren't super into each other, but now it's just combat training. I liked the 'will they, won't they' dynamic way more."

"I'm not going anywhere, Alicia. Just take this one day at a time, and I'll be here every night to cuddle up with you when you're finished."

"Thanks, Kat."

They both kissed, then Kat moved back to her spectator's spot for the real training to begin. With Tabitha now finished showing off, she began walking Alicia through the basics of melee combat. They talked about foot positioning, how to hold a weapon, and how to shift weight to stay on balance. They walked through a series of basic maneuvers, all for different purposes: defending, repositioning, advancing, and dozens more.

After the first few minutes, Katrina grabbed her guitar and a chair from inside, then returned to watch the training. She settled in, double checked the tuning just to be safe, and began to give both fighters some stamina regen. She had to remind herself that, as much as she wanted to conserve mana for the Dungeon, she also would be significantly more helpful if she could reach Level 3. It also looked like the other girls appreciated the extra energy; they weren't actually fighting, so HP Regen would have been wasted, and neither was using any mana.

She also took the opportunity to extensively study Tabitha's movement. With her Bardic Knowledge, she was able to commit things to memory much faster than most, and she knew it would be just as helpful for her to familiarize herself with the Mage Knight's movements.

Alicia, for her part, was putting in a solid effort. Despite her obvious lack of fighting experience, she was doing everything in her power to improve. Over the first hour, her footwork grew more reliable, her ability to read Tabitha's movement began to develop, and she seemed more comfortable with her weapon. She even scored a hit on Tabitha at one point, who put up a good show in pretending like she hadn't let it happen.

Eventually, they decided to take a rest, and Kat quickly got everyone a glass of water. They all collapsed on the front lawn, one of them significantly more out of breath than the other.

"Keep it up, Alicia! You're taking to this like a natural," Tabitha said.

"We both know that's not true, but I appreciate you making the effort." Alicia laughed, holding her fingers in the water to absorb it through her roots. "Why am I learning to fight again? My class is all about barriers, but I haven't even touched them yet."

"We'll get to those in a second, especially since we need you to Level Up, but you need to start thinking in terms of resource allocation," Tabitha said, setting her water down. "If a monster tries to hit you, and you block it with a barrier, how is that any different than taking the hit yourself? Now, imagine you block the attack with a club, or a shield. The damage is blocked entirely, and you don't lose any HP. Your stamina is a resource too, and it would be foolish not to use it."

Alicia paused for a moment. "That does make sense. I don't follow delvers like Kat does, so I've never thought about that stuff."

"After the break, we'll practice with your barriers. I want to see how fast you can make them, how flexible you can be with their shapes. Normally Bulwarks can spawn them in midair, but it doesn't seem like you can do that."

"I can't, it's a weird quirk of my Race and Class combination. I'm not sure if there are any benefits, though, since I've never explored it."

"Hey, unrelated question," Tabitha started, "but is there anything I could snack on?"

Katrina and Alicia looked at each other awkwardly, both probably thinking the same thing.

Shoot, she actually needs to eat.

"Um, I could check my cabinets? But anything in the house would be four years old, minimum." Alicia started to get up but stopped when Tabitha started laughing.

"Don't bother, I was pulling your leg. I've got some food for myself, I just wanted to see the look on your faces." Tabitha continued laughing, falling back on the lawn before stretching her arms over her head. "Long term, though, I'm going to have to fill your pantry. Something to bring down into the Dungeon with us would be nice."

Everyone continued resting for nearly half an hour. Tabitha didn't need the rest as much, but seemed to be enjoying the quiet atmosphere and the cherry blossoms floating on the wind. Alicia was still holding her practice club, moving it back and forth to try and get more comfortable with it. Katrina's music had never stopped, the soft sounds of her classical guitar giving everyone a healthy helping of stamina. Alicia clearly needed it more, but when Katrina asked Tabitha, she said it was also a big help. The Foxgirl hadn't used much stamina during the training, but apparently she'd had a cam show earlier in the night that had kept her pretty busy.

Katrina was just about to suggest that they get back to practicing when a System notification went off in her head, causing her to flinch in surprise.

*PING*

She stopped playing, the peaceful guitar melody halting just moments before reaching a satisfying conclusion. Alicia looked down, concerned at the sudden movement. "Kat? What's wrong?"

"I just hit Level Three!" There was a moment of shock, then Katrina started laughing. After years of staring at her Status, of using it solely to inflict terrible headaches in hopes of distracting her bloodlust, something had finally changed.

Alicia dropped to her knees, showering Katrina's face with kisses in celebration. "Kat! That's so exciting!"

"Way to go, Fangs! You said that gives you spellcasting, yeah?" Tabitha said, sitting up again.