She was as good-looking as ever. Selena was a cat-girl, a feline Outworlder with a long, expressive tail, neat black-furred ears poking out from her mass of chin-length, sleek black hair, and a cute, mobile humanoid face that had something distinctively cat-like about it despite having all the usual human features.

Though Selena could nearly always be found lounging about the small apartment that we had shared for the last year, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, this time she had dressed up for the occasion. She wore a slinky party dress in a very dark green, low cut at the neck to show off her generous breasts, and cut high at the knee, giving a good view of her long, elegant legs and her functional but stylish black leather knee-high boots. Her tail swished back and forth as she advanced up the stairs toward us. She beamed at us as she looked from me to Astrid and back.

“Congratulations!” was the first thing she said. She wrapped me in a hug, then hugged Astrid. “I can hardly believe we finally pulled it off! A Keeper for the most difficult dungeon on the list! Well done, Jeremy!”

“Thanks,” I said, smiling at her. “It’s been good so far, but we have work to do. Come inside.”

We went into the mansion. Astrid led us through a door off the main hall and into a small sitting room which I hadn’t noticed before. It was comfortable, with a fireplace, a thick carpet, and heavy curtains drawn over the window. A single lamp hung from the ceiling, casting a soft light, and in the middle of the room was a small wooden dining table and five chairs.

We all took seats around the table. While everyone was getting settled, I took the chance to examine Selena through the dungeon’s vision. A stat readout appeared before my eyes.

I was a little surprised to see Selena’s level, along with her stats and spells, but then I probably shouldn’t have been. I’d already found out that she was much more than she’d let on.

My thoughts were interrupted when she asked me about the Technomancer. I briefly gave Selena the rundown about the dude.

Selena nodded, frowning as I brought her up to speed. Once I was done, she spoke. “I’ve got something to tell you, too. I hadn’t thought much of it, but now that you’ve told me this, I think it’s maybe more urgent. What do you think I saw while I was driving here?”

“I’ve no idea,” I said.