Earlier that day

Soft, elegant pillars of moonlight drifted down from the sky, dancing through a blanket of leaves before settling on the ground below. An owl hooted in the distance, and several bats hurriedly flew from perch to perch as they hunted for food. As time passed, the moon began to fade, and the sky slowly transitioned from a comforting veil of darkness to the vibrant pastels of dawn.

A sea of orange swept across the horizon, the earliest rays of sunlight dancing off a river of morning dew. Birds began to wake, squirrels prepared to scurry, and flowers eagerly awaited their chance to bloom. Of all the magnificent creatures to feel the sun’s warmth, however, the first was the enormous tree that stood near the center of Primrose Acres.

This tree wasn’t noteworthy just for its size, although at nearly sixty feet tall, it certainly towered over everything else in the subdivision. It was strikingly unique compared to every other tree nearby; the generic Chicago suburb had previously favored the simple Oak, but this tree was a magnificent Cherry Blossom. Its healthy canopy of lush, green leaves were almost entirely eclipsed by the brilliant pink flowers that bloomed atop them. Petals from these flowers continuously broke free and floated to the ground, forming an elegant apron on the surrounding land.

The massive trunk of this tree split into several powerful branches, each one continuing to fractal off before ending with a bouquet of leaves and flowers. Most unusual of all was how frequently this tree blossomed. Traditional Cherry Blossom trees usually grew their signature pink flowers in late spring, the cycle normally lasting only a few weeks. This particular tree, however, continued to flower for almost the entire year. Even now, at the start of August, its brilliant pink blooms still continued to grow and scatter on the autumn winds.

The Cherry Blossoms placement was also rather curious. To an outside observer, it would appear that a simple, two-story house had been built partially around it, but the truth was quite the opposite. The house pre-dated the tree by several decades, but four years ago, the tree had sprung up overnight. An entire front corner of the house had been destroyed, replaced by the impressively large trunk of this tree, and many of its branches had pushed through the walls and roof of the house. In only a few minutes, the tree had gone from non-existent to being the biggest thing in the neighborhood.

With the light of dawn now breaking, the various creatures that called this particular tree home began to wake. They rose from their nests, crawled free from their burrows and, in Alicia’s case, walked out of the trunk itself. The bark behind her left no trace of the departure, as the two entities were one and the same.

Stepping out of the tree, Alicia stretched her arms high before attempting to wake the rest of her body. The joints of her lithe figure occasionally snapped and popped, though the sounds resembled the creaking of an ancient tree rather than those of any human. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling free a few loose petals from the flowers that grew there, and let them fall to the ground.

“Good morning!” she said happily, greeting the world as it woke.

She took off down her front lawn, slowly drawing lines with her feet in the blanket of leaves and flower petals beneath her. She felt the powerful roots of her Heart Tree thrumming beneath her, giving her life, and she smiled in its presence.

Her morning walk was peaceful, as always. She meandered down the street, checking in on her neighbors while slowly making her way to a nearby river.

Stopping at the house next door, she wandered into the yard and crouched down. “How was your night? You still have enough compost little buddy?” she asked. The intricate fungal network didn’t acknowledge her in any way, but she could tell that it had everything it needed to continue thriving. “Just make sure you don’t get too close to me, alright? Us neighbors have to respect the property lines.”

Her next stop was across the street, and another two houses down. “Oh, look how big you’re getting! I remember when you were only a little collection of sticks, but your leaves are looking so healthy now!” The oak sapling in front of her was now close to her height, which made her incredibly proud. She’d replanted it several years ago and was pleased it was taking so well.

“Have your neighbors been behaving themselves? We both know how aggressive those rose bushes can be.” The sapling continued to say nothing. “No, that’s a good point, they have every right to be here. Still, make sure you play nice, alright?”

A few paces later, at the edge of the neighboring property, sat the rose bushes in question. “You hear that? If you don’t behave yourself I’ll have to take drastic measures, and nobody wants that.”

Wandering back to the street, she directed her attention to the asphalt underneath her and paused to examine it.

Well, what was left of it.

Huge sections of the previously paved road had been completely upended through years of hard work. Large roots, as well as dense collections of weeds and vines, had broken through and restored nature’s grasp on the ground around Alicia’s house. In the weeks following the Change, she’d often felt like the concrete and asphalt were suffocating her, but her efforts over the years had managed to alleviate that feeling.

At the end of the street, crossing several blocks and many of the lawns, sat a small river. This was another of Alicia’s creations, something she’d rerouted to give herself easier access to fresh water. She sat down on its banks, dipping her legs in the babbling brook, and sighed in relief.

Stolen story; please report.

Closing her eyes, she smiled as the warmth of the morning sun washed over her. Its light lingered on her skin, but she could also feel the sun’s rays on the leaves of her Heart Tree. Not only did it feel amazing, but as a Dryad, the light itself was literally breakfast. Even without checking her Status, she could feel her SP gradually refilling, and every chloroplast in her body sang with joy as warmth flooded through her.

In the riverbed, small roots began to extend from Alicia’s feet, digging into the ground as she absorbed the water from the soil. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and let herself get lost in the sun.

Two hours passed before she finally opened her eyes. She’d been awake the whole time, but ever since the Change, time seemed to pass differently for her. Up in the sky, the clouds had shifted dramatically, and she knew it was time to head home. Unfortunately, even though she didn’t need food or water anymore, she still had bills to pay. After grabbing the watering can next to her and filling it, she took off once more.

She took a different route back, letting herself wander down a side street to check on some of her other projects. This street had been hit especially hard the night of the Change, and most of the houses had been destroyed. Thankfully, she’d managed to inspire the local plant life to overtake the rubble, and when she had the time, she tried to move some of the destruction to the local dump. Garbage trucks didn’t run here anymore, which she appreciated, but it certainly made cleaning up a little frustrating.

As she wandered from house to house, humming small tunes to herself, she made sure to water the many flowers that had started living here ever since that fateful night. Once she made it home, she lovingly placed a hand on her Heart Tree before stepping inside it again. The wood bent to her will and let her glide higher before she emerged on the other side, now inside the remains of her old bedroom.

She’d been asleep the night of the Change, her bed pushed into the outer corner of her room, which had thankfully minimized the damage her Heart Tree had caused when it sprouted. The bed had been destroyed, but as she didn't need it anymore, she hardly minded. What remained were a few personal effects, old clothes she hadn’t touched in years, and her computer desk.

In her past life, it had been hard to spend even a few minutes away from the internet. It had allowed her to stay in touch with distant friends, it let her discuss her favorite books with other enthusiastic fans, and given her unlimited access to all her favorite shows. Now? Now she spent as little time as possible online, and mostly only used the computer to work. She’d been lucky enough to find a remote job with a new government office, one that monitored compliance for the many new Racial guidelines being codified every day.

She pulled up her chair, crossed her legs, and turned on her computer. As she started opening the various programs she needed, she caught a quick glance of her search history from the previous few days.

How do dungeons work

How do dungeons form

Can new dungeons appear

How dangerous are dungeons

The dryad shook her head. “Now’s not the time to worry about that, Alicia.” She reluctantly logged into her work software and punched in.

She checked in with her boss, read through all the new emails, and finally reached out to her first client. Her job often entailed explaining compliance violations, and helping business owners find the resources needed to bring their establishments up to code. Unfortunately, this often meant dealing with irate cheapskates trying to cut costs by avoiding adding Races to their workforce.

“Sir, while your employees did have the keys to the building, that’s not the issue. The two workers in question are both considered Fey, and ORC guidelines clearly state that all Fey creatures are magically compelled to avoid iron at all costs. They weren’t stuck inside because of a locked door, they were stuck inside because the push bars are made of iron, effectively blocking their exit.”

The voice on the other end of the line was not amused.

“No, you don’t necessarily have to change the mechanism. If another entrance is Fey accessible, then you can leave these doors alone.”

“…”

“Yes, I understand how this might be an unexpected cost, but it will help bring your establishment up to code. Plus, you’ll be able to attract more Fey employees and customers!”

“…”

“Yes, I suppose you could let those employees go. If you wanted to do that, I’d also recommend hiring a lawyer, as I now have recorded proof that you’re attempting to fire someone based entirely on their Race, and the courts aren’t going to like that.”

“…”

“Sir, if you’re going to raise your voice, it’s going to be difficult to have a productive conversation.”

“…”

“Well, personally, I think the cheapest route would be to install a new door. It sounds like you’ve misplaced your ORC Handbook, but I can email you another copy if you like. It contains a slew of helpful information to assist you in updating your business to be more Race friendly.”

“…”

“I’m happy we could come to an understanding, thank you for your time.”

Alicia hung up the phone, then placed her headset back on her desk. “Ugh, last call of the day, finally!” She leaned back, stretching out her stiff back again before turning off her computer. She walked back to her Heart Tree, melded into it once more, and floated back to the ground. She paused before leaving, however, as something caught her attention.

The roots of her Heart Tree extended underneath a huge swath of land, though she’d never measured just how expansive her root system was. She tended to assume the roots covered at least three times the area of her canopy, which was already massive. Due to her connection, she could feel just about everything that moved near those roots. She was aware of the family of moles that lived a few blocks down, she knew about the many ant colonies that had sprouted up recently, and she had long ago memorized the composition of the ground in her neighborhood.

Nature tended to move slowly, which is why Alicia had been caught off guard by the sudden seismic activity several weeks ago. In the middle of the night, large collections of her roots had gone from being safely immersed in the ground, to being exposed to open air. While she didn’t understand how, a large series of caves and caverns had appeared underneath Primrose Acres, and she was fairly sure it was a dungeon.

She knew nothing about dungeons, and she didn’t care to find out more. The delving lifestyle had never appealed to her, and even if it had, she doubted she would be able to spend much time away from her Heart Tree.

A shiver ran through her as she felt footsteps on her roots. Monsters roaming the dungeon without purpose, aimlessly shuffling back and forth as they looked for enemies to engage with. They didn’t seem to fight each other, which she appreciated, but she was scared of what they represented. What would happen when delvers learned about this place? What would happen if the monsters started wandering outside the dungeon?

The feeling faded, the monsters now off in a different room that she wasn’t connected with, and she sighed in relief. She was safe, for now at least, but she couldn’t keep waiting forever.

Which was unfortunate, because waiting came so naturally to her.