As the magical doors to another city closed shut and faded into non-existence, the trio glanced around, marvelling at how quickly the market was returning to normal, as if that had not just happened.

The shift in the marketplace in the wealth district was a sensory overload, with all manner of sights, sounds, and smells vying for attention. Every corner seemed to hold something new and unexpected as the vendors, filled with [Purpose], brought out their best wares.

Rows of vendors hawked their inventory with pride, shouting out to potential customers in a cacophony of voices. Brightly colored tents lined the streets, their awnings covered in shimmering fabrics and silks that caught the light and cast multi-colored hues and patterns across the market. A vendor yelled towards Evan, pointing towards him and asking for a price on his magical ‘ring’ before Lucia stepped in to inform them it was cursed and unremovable. The cursed and blessed vendors looked at the trio with vague interest, before quickly losing interest and greeting new customers.

A group of wealthy shoppers pushed past Evan, their opulent garbs brushing against his simple clothing. They seemed oblivious to the crush of people around them, moving with an entitled ease through the crowds, they clearly expected people to part before them and acted like it was common sense to do so.

Evan, Markus, and Lucia made their way past stalls selling artificed works of magic and technology, marvelling at the intricate mechanisms that powered them. The air swathing with the scent of exotic potions and perfumes, and Evan began to feel the infectious freedom the market projected with every stall, He couldn't help it. He had realised that Items from different corners of the world must be here.

Evan found himself engulfed in a bustling marketplace as he weaved through the throngs of people. As he pushed deeper into the marketplace, he found himself face-to-face with a caged mythical beast. It was a creature of immense size, standing almost three times his height and adorned with a breathtaking array of colors and petals that matched the changing seasons, ranging from shades of green, auburn, yellow, white, and soft pink. Scales of wooden bark were placed meticulously throughout its giant form, in interlocking patterns across its stomach, arms, back, and modest chest, interspersed between the soft leaves that made up its skin. Evan took in all of this, then looked into the creature's breathtakingly beautiful female face, which seemed to be made of a collage of meticulously placed flowers that drank in the sunlight. Like the artful handiwork of a divine painter. Evan stared into its eyes, which seemed to be made up of constantly shifting roots and plants, and realised what stared back at him. It was a dryad.

The beast regarded the trio for a long moment, and Evan could feel the power radiating from its massive body. They all stood frozen, unsure of what to do, until a small imp darted past them and began to taunt the beast.

The imp was tiny, barely reaching Evan's shins, and was weighed down by a metallic collar around its neck, but it was still quick and agile, darting around the beast and peppering it with sharp insults in some alien language. He watched in amazement as the beast roared with rage, unable to catch the nimble imp darting around its cage.

As the scene unfolded before him, he felt both amusement at the imps antics and pity for the beast; something so majestic should not be brought so low, or taunted for it. Markus leaned forward, in a daze, almost reaching out to touch the creature, muttering something about feeling its pain.

"Lost, are we?" said a tall, lean man with piercing blue eyes. He wore a simple tunic and trousers, but there was a regal yet cold air about him that suggested power and influence.

"We're just looking," said Lucia, unsure of what else to say.

The man nodded, his eyes scanning the marketplace. "It's easy to get lost here. But be careful. Some would take advantage of you, given half a chance. If you have the coin, visit my store" The man pointed at a large stall and building, surrounded by exotic beasts "I'm sure you will find something that suits your [Purpose]."

He moved on, disappearing into the crowd, and headed back towards his bestiary, leaving Evan feeling both more lost and more aware of his surroundings than ever before. Lucia pointed towards the store they had come to the market to visit, and the trio quickly followed her lead.

Evan and Markus continued to follow Lucia through the marketplace towards the store, their eyes glancing in as many directions as their necks would allow. Every turn held a new sight for them to gaze at as they weaved through the throngs of people, this was Evan and Markus's first time visiting a wealth market. The contrast to the run-down streets where they had all grown up was more than apparent. Here, even the cobblestone streets seemed impossibly even, each stone slotted in place perfectly to form artistic patterns. To Evan, It seemed a little stupid, what kind of person needed the ground they walked on to be art they could tread all over, while people on the outskirts of the city struggled to survive? It was pointless.

"Why do people care about pretty cobblestone streets? It's not like they're going to stop a thief from stealing their money." He wondered out loud, his voice was dripping with irritation.

Markus studied the ground as they walked, before shrugging absentmindedly in response "Maybe they're trying to distract the thief with the pretty patterns."

Lucia huffed, distracted, barely paying attention to their conversation, and focused on the store "Maybe they just like pretty things, Evan."

Evan knew he was right, deep down. And was not perturbed by his friend's lack of interest. To him, there was something deeply wrong with the way this city was run.``Well, I prefer practicality over aesthetics any day" He seemed to be unfocused too, still taking in the sights of the market around him as they walked, and responded absentmindedly.

Lucia led the way through the marketplace, her long brown hair swaying with each step. Evan could tell she was nervous; her hands were shaking slightly as they approached the apothecary. He had no idea why, he knew she often ran errands for her father, and her high-quality clothing identified her as a resident of the district. The owner would be expecting her arrival.

The sound of haggling merchants and wealthy patrons became muted as they entered the store. Shelves upon shelves of glass bottles, vials, and jars lined the walls. Each container contained a unique potion, each with its magical effects detailed and labelled below. And as they walked into the apothecary, eager to retrieve the order for her father, they were immediately struck by a sea of aromas spreading from the head of the store, where the owner stood among vails and boxes, and what they assumed to be herbs and unknown ingredients.

As much as they tried to focus on the task at hand, the trio's attention was quickly drawn to the bodyguard standing at attention near the back of the shop. He was a hulking figure, towering heads over them all, the top of his head almost brushing the ceiling. An amalgamation of ripcord muscle, with thick, flexible, and scaled snake-like legs that seemed to almost combine into one powerful snake tail when he stood still. His serpentine hair, full of eyes, fangs, and snakeheads, was wrapped in a style resembling dreadlocks and moved with a life of its own, influenced by his thoughts and emotions. I wonder how high he can jump with those things? Evan thought as he curiously peered at the seams of the Medusi's snakeskin legs.

Markus gawked in the guard's direction “Whoa, what's with the lizardman over there? Is he real?”

Lucia leaned over and muttered back to the two with a chuckle “Oh, dear. That's Zara’s bodyguard, Axl, a Medusi. You better watch your words; he's not a lizard man, you know.”

The two almost stopped in their tracks upon hearing this and began to try very hard not to stare in the guard's direction. This meant they began to very obviously not look at him, which was even worse than staring. After all, how interesting could the ceiling, walls, or flooring in his general direction be?

Their curiosity towards the bodyguard was tempered by the knowledge that the Medusi, a race of skilled, and [Skilled] medusas, all bore snake-filled hair that could petrify those whom they wished to harm, but only if they sustained their gaze. And this one was no different, according to Lucia, this Medusi, Axl, was quite well known as an intelligent brute, principled and fair, with a reputation as an experienced combatant and bodyguard. Evan looked around the store, taking in the strange and exotic ingredients to distract himself from the gaze that could turn him to stone that stood in the corner of the room.

He had heard of the Medusi Clan, everyone had, they had played a prominent role in many wars throughout history and had been greatly strengthened for it; their skills were always stronger, and their forms were fit to match. But he would never have thought he would encounter one without having to leave the city. They were widely known for their expert strategy in wars and combat and almost suicidal battle hardiness. They were feared by many in the city.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

As they approached the counter, the Medusi eyed the two boys behind Lucia warily but made no move to interfere.

The shopkeeper was a woman with a long, silver braid that fell to her waist. She wore a cloak that flowed around her, despite the lack of wind in the shop. The shopkeeper looked up from her work as Lucia approached the counter waving “Hi Zara”.

Zara looked up "Ah, Lucia my dear, you're just in time. Your father's batch is ready," she said, pausing briefly to regard Evans's eyes, his ring, and Markus entering the store, before immediately disregarding them and focusing back on Lucia.

The store clerk handed Lucia a small box filled with vials of the potion her father had ordered. "Tell your father I said hi, and not to take more than two within four hours of consuming a bottle, not unless he wants to try spending the rest of his life as a water elemental," she said dismissively, as she returned her focus to the pile of vials and materials around her.

"A water elemental?" Evan had to ask, what she’d just said didn't seem to make any sense.

Zara turned to regard him as she shooed them all away "You know, the kind of person who turns into a puddle when it rains. Not very practical."

As they turned to leave, the floorboards creaked and the ground shook ever so slightly as a large form stepped in front of their path.

Axl, the bodyguard, now stood in front of them, for some reason.

blocking their way out of the store.

He spoke for the first time since they entered. His voice was deep and resonant, with a hint of a hiss in his words. "Not so fast," he growled. "I have a message for your father."

Lucia tensed up, but Evan stepped forward. "What message?" he asked, trying to sound intimidating. He hoped it was working.

The bodyguard looked him up and down, his yellow eyes narrowing, and the snakes draped across his shoulders awakening from their slumber, to look at the new disturbance. Before turning to Lucia and smiling "Tell him that if he doesn't pay up soon, He'll owe me extra at our next game. Ever the sore loser, that Maximus. We play chess every other Thursday. He owes me five gold pieces."

"Five gold pieces? That's a lot of money!" Markus nearly yelled in surprised outrage.

Axl just glared, stonefaced, at the three of them "Well, I'm a very good chess player." He laughed a throaty hissing chuckle and walked back to lean against the wall, as the snakes in his hair struggled against their bindings in mirth "Travel safe little one."

"And be careful with that. It's potent stuff." The shopkeeper called.

They all made their own way to the door, no longer following Lucia. As they passed Axl, the bodyguard, Evan felt a sudden compulsion to look him in the eyes. His petrifying gaze wasn't active to affect him, of course, but he still felt a thrill at the danger, and a jolt of excitement hit him as he considered the idea that something like petrification was even biologically possible. That was a useful ability, but the only way Evan could see himself acquiring it was to kidnap a different, much weaker Medusi to experiment on. And Evan wasn't prepared to do something like that.

Was he?... No, definitely not.

He had to admit though, if he was Evil, he'd be able to get pretty powerful pretty quickly. Damned feelings, ruining everything, he sulked internally.

Their task was complete, they said their farewells and made their way back to Lucia's father's estate with the precious order in hand.

She carried the order carefully like it was a fragile thing. Markus walked beside her, his steps confident and sure as Evan trailed behind, quiet and contemplative. Evan looked curiously towards the box of vials and potions in Lucia's arms and asked "The potions. What do they do?"

Lucia turned back to look briefly in his direction "Oh, you know, the usual. Turns you into a giant frog, healing, curse immunity, boosts your mana, and makes you invisible. All the fun stuff."

Why would her father want to become a frog? Evan wondered. The wealthy were truly strange.

Their footsteps echoed through the empty cobblestone streets as they walked, the cool, crisp night air flowing past them, helping them relax and wind down at the end of the eventful day.

"So, what do you think the point of this Census is?" Markus asked, breaking the silence. "I mean, it's not like they haven't done it before. What's the point of all this?"

"It's about finding unique, or useful skills, like [Divine Architecture], or [Arcane Amplification]," Lucia said, her voice firm. "The Magistrate wants to find people with the potential to enhance the city.”

Markus considered Lucia's statement “Maybe it's all about finding a ‘Protectorate’, sounds like some kind of [Hero]"

"I don't think that's all there is to it," Evan said, his tone thoughtful. Maybe they're just looking for skills to steal, or use, to evolve their own Evan thought. That made a lot more sense.

"It sounded like the Magistrate's knights will be watching over the city during the Census," Lucia said, responding to Markus. "That's a lot of protection."

Evan shook his head. "I don't trust the Magistrate. Did you feel it? The surge of mana when he announced the Census? It felt like mind control to me."

"I don't know about that,” Markus turned, his voice doubtful. “He didn’t seem so bad"

Evan raised both brows towards Markus in surprise, before stepping closer. "That's what it felt like, anyway... There's something else I wanted to tell you. In the past, when I was with Lady Sariel, I saw ruins, and dungeons, a lot of them.”

Evan paused, placing his hands on both of their shoulders to get them to focus on the importance of his next statement.

“And artifacts. All of their locations. I can only remember a few, but, I saw things that could help when Gideon finds us. He said he would see me soon. I don't know how ‘soon’ that is, whether it's next week, next month,”

Evans grip tightened “Or tomorrow”.

“I need to go find them, and I can't leave it up to chance." I can't let something like that happen for real He thought.

Lucia gasped. "Gideon? The one who killed you before?"

Evan nodded. "Yeah, Him. He's already killed me once, effortlessly. And while I was way more powerful, too. How soon is ‘soon’? Honestly, I need to be ready for when he comes”

Lucia and Markus exchanged a look. "We're with you," Lucia said. "We’ve got your back. I mean, he’s just one guy."

"Are you sure?" Evan asked, looking at them both in turn. "It's dangerous. I don't want to put you in harm's way."

"We're sure," Markus said.

Evan smiled, relieved. "Okay. We'll meet here tomorrow morning, and then head to Godfell."

"Godfell?" Lucia repeated, her tone incredulous. "You mean Adras's Breath? That's one of the most dangerous dungeons in the area. It's a death trap."

"That's why we need to be careful," Evan said, his tone serious. "It’s the closest one”

"Careful? Evan, we're talking about Adras's Breath. We need to be more than just careful. We need a miracle." Markus responded, his tone light, but equally serious.

"Yeah, Evan. Do you have a miracle up your sleeve?" Lucia added.

Evan grinned. “Something like that”

They walked in silence for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts. Finally, Lucia spoke up.

Lucia laughed nervously as she turned to stand in front of them both "So, we're just going to walk into an uncharted dungeon, with no idea what's down there, and hope for the best?"

Evan nodded, stopping in his tracks. "Not exactly. But close."

Markus let out a low whistle. "So, we're basically going on a treasure hunt," he said, a grin on his face as he stared ahead at the evening sky.

"Well, it's better than going on a death wish," Lucia retorted, earning a chuckle from Markus in response. "We'll come back with riches beyond our wildest dreams. Just watch, we'll be swimming in gold coins!"

"I don't think we should underestimate the danger," Evan said "But yes, there's a chance we could find something valuable down there."

Markus raised an eyebrow. "Evan, man. You're always so serious. Lighten up a bit."

Evan glared at Markus pointedly. "I'd rather be serious and alive than carefree and dead."

Markus flashed a grin, seemingly undeterred. "Come on, Evan. Where's your sense of adventure? This is the stuff of legends!" Evan was unmoved "Legends often end in tragedy." He responded.

Lucia interjected, her voice soothing. "Well, not for us. We're the dream team, remember?"

"Exactly. We're like bread and butter. Or...I don't know, what's something that goes well together?" Markus said, his tone light. He placed his hands behind his head in relaxation and walked forwards, his two friends soon followed.

"Bread and butter?" Lucia wrinkled her nose. "I still think we should go with peanut butter and jelly."

Evan let out a small chuckle, the tension in his body slowly dissipating. "Can we focus on the dungeon now, please?"

Markus shrugged, his grin returning. "Fine, fine. But we can't forget to pack the bread and butter."

"I can't believe I'm going on this journey with you two." Evan facepalmed.

As they walked, the environment around them changed. The towering buildings and paved streets gave way to more shabby buildings, cracked pavements, and dust-filled streets. The sounds of the slums could be heard in the distance, the trees rustled in the wind, and the trio's steps crunched on the fallen leaves and debris.

Evan's thoughts drifted to his family and the dangers they would face if he failed to retrieve the artifacts. Markus and Lucia's conversation faded into the background as Evan tried to come up with a plan to tackle the dungeon. As soon as he got home, he would completely alter his body and cells once more, or for the first time, technically.

As they continued walking, their surroundings changed even further. The symmetrical and artistic streets with their bright lights and high towers gradually became shabbier buildings and alleys that smelled faintly of food and sewage. The trio passed a group of children dirty from playing a game of tag, their laughter echoing off the crumbling walls, unaware they were living some of their best moments.

Lucia watched the children play with soft eyes, but Evan noticed how she wrinkled her nose and pulled her cloak tighter around her, she must have grown too used to the central districts, he observed. Evan remained quiet, his thoughts returning to the dungeon and what treasure, or relics lay inside.

Lucia's voice pulled him back to the present. "So, what's the plan?" she asked, her tone light but serious.

Evan smiled. "We'll meet here tomorrow morning," he said. "And then, we'll head to the dungeon together."

Markus and Lucia nodded, and the trio continued their way home, each looking forward to the next day's journey. He hoped they would find what they were looking for and make it back alive.

***

The next day, the three of them stood ready, before the dungeon. prepared to discover what lay inside.

Markus looked at Evan and Lucia before he spoke. "So, are we planning on just walking into the dungeon and taking any artifacts we find like it's a walk in the park?"

Lucia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, do you even know how to fight off the monsters in there?" she said, adjusting her grip on her weapon.

Evan stared into the deep dungeon depths in contemplation. "Well, I have some tricks up my sleeve, but I'd rather not rely on them too much," he replied.

As they approached the entrance, Evan drew his weapon, and the others followed suit. They exchanged a nervous glance before stepping inside. The darkness and winds engulfed them, and they could hear nothing but the sound of their own breathing.

The adventure had begun.

Marcus joined Evan in staring into the depths, the darkness was almost cloying. "You know what they say, no plan survives contact with the enemy. So, what's your plan B?"

Evan rubbed his chin, "Plan B? I'm afraid I don't have one,"