Chapter 9: Disturbance at the Greenhouse

A cold breeze flows through the alleyways like a winding current, rustling the leaves of the tree behind Ermon's shop. A few sprinkle down from the foliage and land on the wizard sitting at the table underneath.

Resting her cheek against her palm, Kathryne brushes a leaf away from her workspace. Her eyes go back and forth between her open spellbook and her new journal, Kathryne's right hand tapping on a stone slab with magical chalk.

After a minute of thought, she traces out a magical circle with illusory sigils lining the inner border before tapping the shapes with her finger. Mana flows through the chalk, but it does little more than fizzle out with colorful sparks, wiping the slab clean.

Kathryne lets out a tired sigh and turns her attention back to her notes, picking up a pencil and scratching at her writing.

Designing new spells wasn't unlike creating computer programs, something Kathryne had experience with in her old life, but working with unfamiliar tools and languages was far from easy.

Since I have a low strength score, magic will have to be my defense. Especially if I want to get more experience in combat.

Thank god that whoever this body belongs to was well organized! I couldn't imagine trying to learn magic with spaghetti code.

The wizard's mind began to wander as she rewrites her arcane script, including a few minor edits. It looks like that it's possible to create spells that aren't in the Wrathfinder spell lists, but I can still use them as a base.

Kathryne draws out a new circle according to her improved code and taps it with mana. The chalk reacts positively, creating a solid ring of light as the space just above it glows with two illusory words: 'Hello world!'

"Yes!"

Kathryne giggles excitedly, quietly sketching out another circle and tapping it again, spelling 'Kathryne Wyrm.'

The back door of Ermon's shop opens up as Wolfgang ducks underneath the frame. Her cat-like eyes dilate to adjust to the light outside, spotting the wizard sitting nearby.

Kathryne smiles cheerily as Wolfgang appears, quickly sketching out the circle and casting the words 'Hi Wolfgang!'

"... Hm." Wolfgang raises an eyebrow in curiosity before walking past Kathryne, following her nose and pulling a crowbar from her pouch.

The wizard pouts, a little underwhelmed with her reaction. In the several days she's been working at Ermon's shop, Kathryne had hardly seen the slayer. She turns her chair to the slayer, putting her hands on her lap. "Whatcha up to?"

"Preparing." Wolfgang responds, using her crowbar to pry the root loose. "I need an ingredient."

"Oh? What kind of ingredient?"

Wolfgang looks over her shoulder and makes a motion for Kathryne to hold her hand out.

The wizard scoots her chair forward and extends her palms, letting the slayer pass her the ingredient.

The ingredient being a giant blue beetle.

"WAAAAH!" Kathryne cries as she reflexively tosses the bug away. "Why?!"

The bug lands on its back for a moment, before using its wings to flip back over. It takes into the air, its wings beating loudly as it buzzes towards the wizard.

"GYAAAAAAH!"

Wolfgang snatches the bug out of the air and keeps it in her fist, her lips pursed in an attempt to not laugh.

"I hate bugs..." Kathryne wipes away a tear, remembering the disgust that was facing the gremlitoes. "What would you need it for?"

"It's a pipez beetle. They have glands that can be used to keep certain monsters away from crops." Wolfgang says, tossing the bug into a vial and letting it angrily bump against the glass. "They're found in cities near places of magic, especially that of the arcane."

"Okay?" Kathryne thinks. "Are you going to a farm?"

"Hm. The greenhouse wants me to look for pests."

Just pests? Kathryne imagines Wolfgang spraying crops around with pesticide, or leaving out poison rat traps. Sounds kind of boring, but... it'd be nice to watch the slayer at work.

"Can I come?"

Wolfgang pauses as she's putting away the bug, her ears twitching. "... What?"

"Can I come see you work?"

"... Why? You don't have anything better to do?"

"Well, I think it'd be nice to watch you work, even if it's just pests. Plus, we can look around afterwards for a place to eat."

Wolfgang's expression softens, her stub of a tail wagging when she hears food. "... Hm."

"Is that a 'yes' hm or a 'no' hm?"

"You can come." Wolfgang sighs, standing up and putting away her crowbar. "Put on clothes you don't mind getting dirty."

"Okay!"

*****

Kathryne stands at the base of a towering skyscraper, a ruined monument to those who came before. Nostalgia surfaces from the memories of her past life.

Besides her, Wolfgang leans against a nearby building underneath a stone overhang, quietly listening to the sounds of the city.

The pair had shown up to an entrance of the 'greenhouse' Wolfgang was hired to inspect, but she was quickly stopped by some of the security. They were asked to wait outside while they informed the people in charge.

That was 30 minutes ago.

"Hey, Wolfgang?"

"Hm."

"How do you think they lived? The Myrrhnians?"

The slayer looks up towards the sky, matching Kathryne's gaze.

"... I imagine they were cramped. Everything's really close together."

"Yeah..." Kathryne sighs. The sight reminds her of a giant office building, with hundreds of people cooped up into cubicles. "Do you think they were happy?"

"... Maybe. Happiness depends on the person."

Kathryne retreats to the overhang, hoping to get out of the cold and open air. "What makes you happy?"

"Me?"

"Yeh."

Wolfgang gazes at the skyline, pondering her answer. "... Food."

"Really?" Kathryne giggles. "What's your favorite food?"

Wolfgang takes another moment to think, this time taking much longer. "Chocolate chicken mole."

"Oh! You can eat chocolate?"

"... What?"

The nearby door opens and a guard steps out, spotting the pair chatting nearby. "Oh, it's you two!"

Kathryne tilts her head, looking the guard up and down. "Hi?"

"It's me, Sam!" The guard responds, taking off his helmet and revealing a tan face. He quickly runs his hands through his matted hair, trying to give it back some volume.

"Oh!"

Kathryne hadn't seen his face before, but it was nice to know what he looked like. "I thought you guarded the wall?"

"I kind of get sent everywhere. There's only a few clerics in Trudid's watch." Sam answers, latching the helmet to a hook on his belt. "They asked me to guide you down to the greenhouse."

Down?

The three descend a staircase into a long room with a long line of people leading to a double door at the far end. Conversations about lunch breaks quiet down as the people in line notice Wolfgang's presence, her boots echoing through the hallway.

Kathryne can't but smile. Wolfgang's work demeanor vaguely reminds her of the cowboys in the spaghetti westerns her dad loved. I bet Wolfgang would love those movies too.

The three go through the double doors and enter a much smaller room, the floor glowing with strange circuits. Sam presses a square in the middle with his foot, summoning a holographic map.

Kathryne gasps softly as she watches Sam press a few buttons. A transparent barrier shimmers around the platform and the floor itself begins to sink. The walls around them glow with blinking lights as they zoom past.

Sam spots both the wizard and slayer tense up at the fleeting moment of weightlessness. "Is this your first time being in one of these?"

He walks towards the edge of the platform, pointing in a direction. "This side has the best view."

The walls disappear with a rush, revealing an underground city. Lights twinkle in the expansive darkness, giving rough silhouettes to the angular buildings. Directly below the three was a giant multi-layered building of glass and light, providing an ambient light to the rest of the district. In the far edges, one could barely see mountains of rubble that disappeared into the void.

"is that the greenhouse? It's so big!" Kathryne exclaims.

"We call it the Argoyle greenhouse. We're lucky that it was still working shape when we cleared out the overcity."

Kathryne spots several more platforms coming and going from the greenhouse, most of which are filled with groups of people.

In the distance, she spots another group of three: one towered over the other two, with a grey mane similar to Wolfgang's own.

Is that a beastfolk? Kathryne gasps, trying to catch their attention by waving.

At the same time, the shortest of the group mirrors Kathryne.

Oh, it's a reflection.

Kathryne presses against the invisible barrier to try and inspect the darkness to see what is causing the reflection, squinting at the darkness.

Is that... an eye?

Staring back at her from the darkness was the vague shape of an massive sclera. Her reflection was in the center of the pupil, an inky void with edges that bubbled in the iris.

It looked like it barely fit in the cavern.

"Were you waving at your reflection?" Sam asks aloud, startling the wizard. He taps his helmet and shines a light in the direction Kathryne was looking at.

The light illuminates the reflection, revealing it to be from the glass on the side of an underground skyscraper. The eye is gone.

Kathryne releases a breath she didn't know she was holding, deflating in relief. "Oh, it's just a building."

"What did you see?"

"I thought I saw a big eye." Kathryne waves dismissively.

"Well, that would be pretty creepy." Sam chuckles as the platform finally begins to descend past the roof of the greenhouse.

The trio are lowered down the central pillar of a large circular room. Many people stroll atop glass walkways and past green rooms containing a multitude of plants. A comforting warmth seeps into every corner of the building.

Waiting in front of the platform is a young man dressed in farmer's overalls, although he seemed cleaner than his coworkers. He greets the slayer with a tame smile and holds out his left hand.

"Welcome. You must be Wolfgang?"

His eyes study Wolfgang's ears and eyes. "You're... taller than I expected."

Sense Motive: 13.

Kathryne is surprised to sense Wolfgang's ring 'rolling', feeling a strange empathic connection. When the man shook her hand, Wolfgang could detect a disturbance in his breath, and his right arm nudged a hidden weapon in his waistband.

"Hm." Wolfgang grunts, deciding against pressing the waryness the man has towards her.

"My name is Joseph Argoyle, I'm something of a manager in this place." His eyes land to the nearby half-gnome, scanning her up and down. "Is this a friend?"

The wizard bows in greeting. "I'm Kathryne. I'm here to watch Wolfgang work."

"Ah, I understand." Joseph smiles. "I imagine that watching a slayer can be quite the experience!" He says, obviously prompting Wolfgang for some input.

"Hm."

".... Well!" Joseph clasps his hands together and steps onto the platform, giving a quick nod to Sam. "Let's get on with business then."

The platform begins its descent again, revealing levels of greener and farmland stacked on top of each other. Farmers work in giant fields, taking care of crops and livestock. Artificial sunlight warms the entire compound, warm enough for Kathryne to remove her jacket and tie it around her waist.

"Something has my guys spooked. People have been hearing scratching and caught glimpses of some creatures scuttling about. The guards can't really spare anyone to investigate, since there's been a string of burglaries in the overcity.

"How much would I owe you?"

Wolfgang doesn't turn to face Joseph, her eyes quickly scanning the different layers of the building. "Five gold. I'll investigate and tell you what the problem is. If it turns out to be pests, I'll give you some advice and offer some alchemical solutions."

"And if it turns out to be monster related?"

"Then we negotiate a price, and I solve it for you." Wolfgang growls out.

Kathryne stays quiet as the two talk. She had a few questions about the building itself, but she didn't want to disturb Wolfgang's work.

Joseph eventually hands over the five coins. "It's been happening for a few weeks now, and whatever it is has been growing braver. Recently, some of our crops were destroyed, and I think someone might get hurt.

"We've locked off the lower levels and the bridges, but-"

Joseph is interrupted when a pocket of his overalls rings out with a few beeps. He pulls out a small radio from one of the pockets. "Sorry. Let me take this."

"Hey, Joey?-" A voice buzzes out. "It's Charlie- down at the pipes- We keep hearing shit- and- lights went out, so I'm- telling everyone to leave- You said- hired a slayer, right?-"

"Yeah, they're here. We're heading down to meet you. Tell everyone down there to head for the main pillar."

"Already on their way- creepy as shit- here- Just making- AAUGH-!"

Charlie's scream of pain distorts the radio, and a red light begins to blink on Sam's helmet. "-need backup- 12th floor! Something attacked- by the blue pipes- 12th floor-!!"

"Oh shit." Joseph cusses as he summons the holographic map again, setting the elevator to a deeper level.

Sam slips on his helmet and presses the blinking button. "Copy, I'm heading down now!" He looks at Wolfgang and hesitates before speaking. "Slayer, will you-"

"Do you know the way?" Wolfgang interrupts Sam, having already pulled out a glow tube. She sticks it in a small lantern, letting the light focus into a dim beam and straps it to her jacket.

"Yeah, just follow me. Kathryne, you should-"

The cleric watches Kathryne quickly conjure a few moats of light, letting them float around the group. "I prepared spells that can help."

"... Alright, fine. Joey, get your people off this level, and send reinforcements."

Joseph nods in agreement, pulling out the hidden pistol from his waistband.

The platform finally arrives at its destination and the four are surrounded entirely by darkness. The sound of water rushes through nearby pipes, and panic could be heard echoing through the halls.

"Let's go."