Blood And 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.