"Hey there, girlzoe, take it easy," said Geddes, placing a hand on Jade's shoulder. "Lyn ain't a foreigner. She speaks our language. She ain't from the city, but maybe Caster was right, and things are better out there."

"Caster is fucking dead, Geddes," Jade spat. "He died because he wanted to save some idiot foreigner. Before you got here, we had one rule: 'Take care of your own.' And Caster got himself killed because he broke that rule."

"Heyyy now, Jade. Listen here, you's too young to know how things were before the fall, I get it, but that rule was bullshit."

"Was it?" Jade shot back. "The Grimm leave us alone as long as there are no little kids and we keep our group small. And Caster was the one to break that rule. You filled his head with all the glim and glam of the before-times when nobody was hungry, and everyone shat rainbows, and he decided that we could change the fucking world if 'we just worked together' or some bullshit like that. But now he's dead, and so are we because you brought us this fucking foreigner."

At this point, Jade had gone from shouting to completely hysterical. I felt like I needed to say something, but I was pretty sure there was some sort of misunderstanding going on, and I didn't know where to butt in.

Geddes sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Damn, Jade. Chill out for a sec and let's hear this girlzoe out. If we don't like what we hear, we can figure something out, OK?"

Jade turned to me, her eyes sharp as daggers, and I shrank in surprise at the sudden intensity.

"Hey Jade, nice to meet you and the others. I'm Lyn, by the way. To be honest, I don't really know what's going on here. My mother and I were just passing through on our way to Hel. We were sleeping in a pocket dimension, but when I woke up—"

Jade and Geddes stared at me in utter confusion, so I continued to explain. "When I woke up, I was alone in the Faraday Mall. Frisa found me, and after we were suddenly attacked by some acidic goo, she led me here." I nodded, recalling the events. “I assume that the goo that came shooting towards us was from the Grimm you guys mentioned, but I never saw it.

Geddes interrupted me, struggling to find the right words. "Wait a minute, girlzoe. You said a few things there that don't make sense. Where were you going, and what's this about a pocket dimension?"

"Well, yeah, I don't know much about any of that either. My mom has only been teaching me to use magic for the last two days, so I was hoping that you would understand since we’re in the dungeon and all." I said, hoping that they could offer some insight.

“Dungeon—What are you on about now?” Geddes asked, looking even more bewildered.

I couldn't believe they had never heard of the dungeon nexus. "You're telling me you've never heard of it?"

"Hmph. It seems that the basic truth couldn't escape your dull wits," Frisa's voice said from behind me. "These humans are not travelers like you and your mother. They are completely ignorant of the reality of this world. They're trapped within its grasp, as it continues to devour their very beings." Frisa appeared next to me, speaking in her ethereal language. "And you, Lyn... I was aware of your foreign origins. It's curious indeed that you can converse in my tongue. But if you truly understood the dangers lurking within this dungeon, why would you be so foolish as to venture here? Did you not possess a shred of caution or wisdom?"

“Frisa, but then… How did they?” I said ignoring her questions.

“What the fuck are the two of you talking about?” Jade butted in. “And where did you learn that bitch’s language?”

Before I could answer, a girl with a homely smile interrupted. "Hey, if you guys aren't going to shut it, we might as well get up and have some breakfast." She revealed several missing teeth as she spoke. "Lyn, right? I'm Melly. I do the cooking around here. If you get hungry, you can always come to Mell... hehe." Her awkward friendliness was a refreshing change of pace.

"Thanks, Melly. I'm actually famished," I replied gratefully.

“Sure thing,” she said, giving me a wink before walking away.

"Fine, we can finish this convo while we eat," Geddes said, relenting. We made our way to the kitchen, where the rest of the group was waiting. Wooden crates were stacked from floor to ceiling and filled with an impressive variety of canned food and water, like books in a library. In the center of the room, there was a table made from a patient's bed base and a metallic door used as its surface. A mishmash of chairs and bins were used for seating. Melly and her little brother, Pinto, were opening and tossing the contents of several cans into a large pot to heat them up.

The smell of beans and eggs wafted through the air as the group sat down to eat. Sevens, who was probably the oldest boy at around 12 years old, Monkey, a somewhat pudgy kid with red hair he was trying to style into a bowl cut, and Skinner, who was little more than skin and bones with a too-large head, sat down with folded arms and grim expressions. Geddes, on the other hand, smiled brightly as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

The only one not seated yet was Jade. She stood still and silent like a statue next to the entrance. Geddes clapped his hands loudly. "OK, let's talk! Where are you from, Lyn?"

"I'm from a country called Japan on a world called Earth," I replied promptly. "My mom and I went through a portal to get here. This place is in a world of portals we call the Dungeon Nexus, and we were just passing through this dimension to get to another world."

"Another world. Earth. I see now.” Geddes said, sitting quietly in contemplation for a moment. “Okay, girlzoe. I believe you. Let's eat," he finished decisively, surprising everyone at the table.

"That's it?" I asked, feeling confused.

"You gotta eat when you can, girlzoe. After we eat, I'll have Melly or Jade show you to a room so you can get some rest. Once she's done 'restin', Frisa can take her scavenging in the city and show her the ropes," Geddes said.

Frisa floated down beside me and poked me on the side of the head. "Oh, Geddes, can you even comprehend how troublesome she is? This one lacks the necessary wit to survive in these lands. If I so much as miss a blink, she'll be devoured by a wandering beast. Such a bother, truly." She said dripping in sarcasm, while Geddes shrugged his shoulders and scoffed.

"But it was I who led her to this place, after all. I suppose it's my responsibility to keep her from harm's way. A troublesome burden, but one I must bear nonetheless," Frisa said as she flew down to the table to eat beside me.

Jade still stood at the entrance, her gaze fixed on the group. As we began to eat, the clinking of utensils against plates filled the room. Melly and Pinto moved about the kitchen, stirring the pot and setting out plates for everyone. I couldn't help but feel grateful for their hospitality, despite the strange circumstances.

I looked up from my plate and saw that Jade had finally sat down. She didn't say a word, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"She's lovely isn't she?" An ethereal voice whispered into my ear. "I'm certain that the two of you will soon become good friends."

I scowled at Frisa, and she sneered back at me. Despite her assurances, I had a feeling it would be Melly giving me the tour.

***

After eating my fill, Melly and Pinto took me on a tour of the settlement, which was housed in the ruins of an abandoned hospital. About half of the building was still intact and surrounded a large courtyard that had once been used as a park for patients and staff. Now, it was filled with various makeshift structures and small gardens for use by Geddes's group. The group referred to itself as the Faraday Kids, a name taken from the former hometown from which most of the survivors had fled. The group consisted of twenty-five people, excluding myself and Frisa, and tended to be on the younger side, with most members in their late teens and early twenties.

After the tour, Melly led me to an overgrown apartment building that bordered the courtyard and brought me to a room with a sturdy wooden door. "Here's your key," she said, handing me the key to the padlock on the door. "There's plenty of food around here if you're hungry. Just don't go into any of the buildings unless you know what you're doing. We want to keep the area secure, if possible."

With that last word, Melly's voice grew louder as she walked away. She shut the door behind her, leaving me alone. After examining the space, I locked the door behind me and threw my bag down. I fell backward onto my bed, a simple mattress and blanket resting atop a few pieces of plywood set against the wall as makeshift furniture. As I lay there staring at the ceiling, marveling at how profoundly quiet this city was, I wondered about my mother and what I should do to find her.

I had the dungeon sprite, so finding the exit should be easy, as long as I could avoid any monsters. But without a dungeon sprite of her own, I doubted that she would be waiting at the exit for me. Normally, when you get lost, it's best to stay put, but having already fled for my life from the Faraday market, I decided that staying with the Faraday Kids would be my next best option.

After some time, there was a knock at the door, and Geddes was standing outside with Jade. "Hey, girlzoe, did you get some rest?" he asked, tossing me a can of juice. "Jade and I had a talk and we want to discuss a few more things with you before you head out to scavenge."

"Sorry for being such a bitch earlier. I still think you're full of shit, but Geddes got me thinking that we should at least hear you out," Jade said, walking into the room confidently, but then quickly turning around as if she realized she shouldn't have phrased her apology that way.

Geddes continued, "So, anyway, let's compare notes here. Let's start by talking about this world: Spirotree."