As the sun slowly dawned on the city suburbs, and warmth filled Alicia’s branches, she let out an immense sigh of relief. Her branches felt as if they were stretching towards the light, and powerful energy flowed through her once more. She let herself relax for another few hours; not quite asleep, but not quite awake, just enjoying the strength of the sun rejuvenating her. There was nothing special about this morning, technically, but last night had been the first time she’d ever been so far from her Heart Tree. The experience, although exhilarating for many different reasons, had also been quite stressful.


    For most of the night, the excitement had kept her focused on all the new experiences. She’d loved seeing all the different people, the new types of shops that now catered to delvers, and most of all, spending so much time with Katrina. They hadn’t just spent the whole time together, but they’d practically held each other the whole time, and Alicia couldn’t stop thinking about it.


    The fear of being so far from home had abated when she’d leaned on Katrina, and held her arm tight for support. Katrina’s hand squeezing hers whenever the crowds grew too thick, and pulling Katrina in for a hug as she grew flowers to try and mask the smell of blood. Returning home, shedding her strange new clothes, and jumping at Katrina with joy in her heart. The Vampire’s soft hands holding her waist, their faces just inches apart, wishing desperately that she could muster the strength to move just a little bit closer.


    Alicia shook her head. She had a job to do. Well, two jobs actually. She needed to clock a few hours at ORC sometime today, but she also needed to prepare for her delving exam. And find a site where she could take the exam. And go there to take it.


    Ugh.


    The thought of leaving home again soured her good mood.


    C’mon Alicia, this is how to save your home. You can probably find an exam site that’s closer than Downtown Chicago, maybe even one within walking distance!


    Steeling her resolve, Alicia left her Heart Tree and stepped into her bedroom. She started by checking her phone, which was charging next to her computer, and quickly sent a text to Katrina.


    Alicia: SP’s completely back! Thank you so much for taking me downtown, I had a great time :)


    Am I being too forward? It’s not like last night was a date… As much as I wish it were.


    Her thoughts returned to Katrina’s phone, and the strange girl she’d seen on the lock screen. Katrina was such a closed off person, what if she had a partner and just hadn’t mentioned it? Alicia tried to remember the picture, wondering if she’d missed any details that might help her figure out this mystery, but she’d only looked at it for a few moments.


    Rather than fixate on half-remembered details, she booted up her computer and decided to start doing dungeon research. She started by looking for delving tutorial sites, which thankfully weren’t in short supply. There were a few government sites that went over dungeon basic, but she also found a site hosted by the Chicago Guild Network. It seemed that, while every Guild had their own unique site, they had formed a loose coalition to help streamline operations.


    This hub site had plenty of resources for new and experienced delvers alike. She saw a news feed, which seemed to have several articles about important Guild Members that had recently leveled up, but also talked about recent delves, trades between guilds, and other miscellaneous news. At the top of the news feed, featured much more prominently than anything else, was an article announcing the discovery of the new Key Dungeon. Alicia read through it in its entirety, praying that the journalist hadn’t somehow discovered her address, but thankfully her secret was safe.


    Navigating away from the news feed, Alicia found a Forum dedicated to anything and everything related to Delving. A quick search revealed that the busiest forums seemed to be dedicated to discussing builds. Each Class had its own forum, with people discussing the best Class Features to take to optimize their build. They would share results of Level Ups, ask for advice about how certain Features worked, and also debating which Paths were objectively better than others.


    There were also forums dedicated to specific Races. People looking for advice on dealing with Race specific issues, sharing cool Features they’d discovered, but also just forming communities with others like themselves.


    Knowing she needed all the help she could get, Alicia decided to make herself a profile. Once she’d officially registered as DecadentDryad, she joined two forums: one for Dryads, and one for Bulwarks. She made some introductory posts, and shared with the Bulwark forum that she was going to start delving and wanted beginner’s advice.


    Once she’d finished, she could feel the computer screen starting to agitate her and decided to shut it down for a while. She didn’t need to be at work yet, and she needed to go for a walk around the neighborhood anyways.


    Her usual route felt strange, mostly because it was completely unchanged. Alicia felt like her entire life had been uprooted in the last 24 hours, though thankfully not literally. She’d learned that every Guild in the city desperately wanted to find her secret Dungeon, traveled to Downtown Chicago to visit the main camp, and it all stemmed from one, spectacular girl.


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    She was even planning on becoming a Delver, of all things. After years of ignoring her class, of happily ignoring Dungeons, she now needed to learn how to fight. If nothing else, she was thankful that her Class seemed relatively simple. She didn’t have to learn dozens of spells, or spend years mastering complicated techniques or crafting recipes. She just had to look at the dangerous thing and stop it from coming closer. Still, she was glad to have found a forum for her class, it would be helpful to hear how everyone else approached delving.


    Being outside, thankfully, was a nice distraction. All her floral friends were doing quite well, but that was hardly surprising. When she reached her river, she eagerly dipped her feet in the water and started drinking. Leaning back, she rested her hands on the warm ground, and forced herself to slow down.


    She focused on the warmth of the sun, the breeze that rustled her hair, the water cascading around her legs. This had been her life for years, co-existing with nature, and she still found great peace in it. Her thoughts drifted back to Katrina, the stranger that had accidentally flown into her branches and changed everything. She remembered her outfit last night, a form fitting tank top that had accentuated her large bust. On a few occasions, as she’d leaned on the Vampire for support, her tank top had been pulled down slightly, giving Alicia small peaks at Katrina’s impressive cleavage. At the time, she’d tried to avert her eyes, but those memories returned now stronger than ever. She remembered stopping at small patches of grass to rest and recover her Stamina, but also ending up at eye level with Katrina’s phenomenal backside. Her tight jeans hugged her frame perfectly, cupping her ass so immaculately that Alicia had found herself jealous of the clothing.


    Without even realizing it, the soft breeze began to resemble the Vampire’s hands. Just like the night they met, when they gently caressed Alicia’s branches, they were now playing with her hair, moving it away to expose her neck. The warmth of the sun became the warmth of Katrina’s breath. She was kissing Alicia, her soft lips brushing against the Dryad’s neck while she gasped in anticipation. The water around Alicia’s legs suddenly felt like raging rapids, surging with passion, and they seemed eager to push Alicia’s legs apart.


    Her roots shifted, her legs separating as she imagined Katrina’s lips leaving her neck, moving further down. They kissed her chest, the tops of her breasts, eventually finding her sensitive nipples. She felt Katrina’s sharp fangs against her skin, but no fear accompanied them, only tender bites that pushed Alicia into moaning aloud. Her hips were tense, and she felt a heat between her legs that she hadn’t felt in years. She twitched in excitement, her body rediscovering the idea of passion. The little plant life that usually covered her body slowly receded, and the gentle autumn breeze now had access to even more sensitive parts of her. Something grew from the ground underneath her, and she instinctually began grinding against it, quietly moaning to herself as the sensations flowed through her body. The warmth of Katrina’s breath returned, this time between her legs, and she imagined what the Vampire’s tongue might feel like, how she might react if it tasted her.


    Without warning, the warmth surging from between her legs overtook her, and her entire body tensed with pleasure. Alicia bit her lip hard, wishing Katrina were the one biting her instead, and her moans grew louder as she experienced her first orgasm in years.


    When she opened her eyes, the daydream vanished. The warmth on her privates was just sunlight, the sensual caress traveling her body nothing more than an idle breeze. She looked down at her naked body, a sight she rarely saw, and realized that she’d unconsciously grown a small vine from the ground beneath her. It had curled up next to her sex, and grinding against it had given her the pleasure she’d apparently wanted. When she looked to the sky, she saw the sun had moved more than expected; she’d likely just spent hours taking care of herself.


    Alicia immediately blushed with shame. She had nothing against masturbation, but she hadn’t bothered seeking out that kind of pleasure in years. Had being close to Katrina really unearthed that part of her? Was she now some horny teenager, desperately wishing she could hook up with the first girl to pay attention to her?


    She regrew her usual outfit, her privates once again covered, and pulled her legs from the water.


    I just need to get back to work, right? I’ll check my forum posts, clock in at ORC, and give myself something to focus on. This was just a fluke, an idle fancy, nothing more. Once I’m in my room, at my desk, I can focus on what’s important. Katrina is just a friend, helping me learn about delving. She’s so excited for this, I get to give her real delving experience! Maybe, as thanks, she’ll delve underneath my desk and— No! Bad Alicia! Why am I like this?!


    Returning back home, Alicia managed to clock into work and start making calls. The distraction helped a little bit, but most of her efforts were spent trying to avoid picturing herself in bed with a Vampire.


    Wait, my bed was destroyed in the Change… Maybe I should fix that.