A gorgeous and breathtaking encounter

The grand city of Santa-Rosa had enormous walls, so much so that within the city, one felt cut off from the outside world. The architecture of this city was unique in the world, typical of an elven village, as it was established around the surrounding flora. If one thing wasn't lacking in this very large city, it was trees. Every house, from the entrance to the deepest point of the city, had been built around one or more trees.

Upon the arrival of the two travelers in the city, they noticed that, although there was quite a bit of wind, the streets of Santa-Rosa were filled with all types of floral decorations. Flowers of all colors offered a sense of well-being to anyone within the confines of this beautiful city. They were probably decorations set up to celebrate a festival that the elves called: The Day of the Dragon, celebrating the passage of dragons over their city.

These dangerous creatures in normal times always passed at this time of year, pushing back with their wings the storms trying to reach the city. They are so powerful that their breath alone is enough to cause gusts of wind, even their saliva is proof of power as it melts steel. With 10 meters high for a young dragon and about twenty for adults, absolutely no one dares to approach them, let alone ride one of these incredible creatures. But despite all this, the elves of Santa-Rosa admire and worship them as gods.

- What a sumptuous city, isn't it, Alpheus? Asked Atlas, observing the beauty of the city.

- Yes, the city is magnificent. It has a particular charm. Replied Alpheus, also amazed at the view of the city. "But... let's not forget the purpose of our visit here."

- Of course not, we must gather as much information as possible, and as discreetly as possible, about the relics, or about the ingenious inventions of the elves that could be useful to us. By the way, about that, the swindler at the Gateway City told me about a certain map that would be able to take us anywhere.

- A map that takes you anywhere? That would be useful, provided we first know the position of the relics. He said, reflecting. "But do you even know where we can find such a thing?"

- Yeah, at the black market. But I first need to find a way to access it. From what he told me, it's in a secret underground of the city. We'll walk a bit to find the access. According to him, we'll find in a small alley named Ohara, north of the city, a man who will give us access.

- Okay, let's go.

They then took the roads of the city heading north to find the entrance to the underground.

On their way, Atlas and Alpheus couldn't help but notice that all the conversations were generally based on this famous "Day of the Dragon" which was approaching soon, without any precise details.

People seemed happy and eager as the day approached. And of course, this piqued the curiosity of Atlas and Alpheus, who also wanted to see this event.

After a good hour of walking and searching through this very large city, they finally found a sign placed at the entrance of an alley on which was written Ohara.

Upon entering, the two companions had seen the man the merchant had talked about. A black man in a black suit, probably in his thirties with a huge build, measuring over two meters tall and seemingly acting as security for the entrance to this illegal place where he sat as if nothing was wrong.

It was almost ironic, a place supposed to be secret and well hidden, watched over by a costumed man visible from miles away.

Paying little attention to this, Atlas and Alpheus approached the colossus who stood up in front of them with some authority.

- Hi, sir! Said Atlas in a relaxed tone.

- What do you want? He replied in a deep voice, almost trembling the ground.

- Um... we'd like to access the underground.

- There's no underground here. Out of my sight!

The entrance to the underground was indeed not visible, but it was obvious that the black market was located here. This did not escape the two companions.

Alpheus, not even trying to hide his words from the man in front of him, said to Atlas:

- We've wasted enough time because of guards like this. They annoy me.

- Yeah, me too!

The two then frowned at the guard.

The latter instantly understood what was about to happen, but he smiled. And at that moment, a surge of aura flooded the entire alley and the guard, now looking like a terrifying being, looked down at the two in front of him with a smile.

Atlas then looked at Alpheus and simply said, "don't go too hard."

After this sentence and a nod from Alpheus, the guard saw two faces staring at him straight in the eyes, two faces much more terrifying than his own.

The clash of the guard's aura against those of the two companions combined made the ground and walls tremble, even starting to crack. And as the guard began to feel afraid because of this intensity that he could no longer bear, a mocking smile spread across Atlas's face, creating a frightening contrast with Alpheus's expression filled with impatience and anger.

Then, one step... two steps... the two advanced on the guard while still staring him straight in the eyes, making him waver before falling to the ground, trembling with fear.

A laughable sight especially for his size. At that moment, only one gesture remained for the two boys to end it all. Atlas raised his hand to execute this gesture, but...

"STOP! Stop it!"

A voice rang out, so sweet that it would make any man collapse. Turning to check who was behind this beautiful voice, Atlas and Alpheus saw a young teenage elf, strikingly beautiful, emerging from a horizontally opened gate on the ground.

Like all elves, she had long pointed ears. Her eyes were a magnificent blue, and her very long hair was an incomparable shade of purple. If perfection existed, it would fit impeccably with her sumptuous forms. Forms that her low-cut and tight-fitting clothes showcased very well.

- Stay behind me, Asha. They're dangerous. The man suddenly said, extending his trembling arm as if to protect the young girl.

- Don't worry, Raph, it's the boss who sent me. Apparently, they're honored guests.

Alpheus, perplexed, looked at Atlas, who just shrugged, not understanding what was going on either.

- Are you Atlas Turner and Alpheus Lackman? The young lady asked.

- That's us. The two young men replied together, looking surprised.

- In that case, please follow me.

The underground guard could only let the youngsters pass since they had been invited in by the one who seemed to be the master of the place. Atlas even couldn't help but mutter: "honored guests!" as he walked past him, mockingly.

Having crossed the portal on the ground, the young lady and the two travelers descended many steps, shrouded in darkness, with only a torch held by Asha to light their way.

There was an almost awkward silence during the descent of the three, a silence that seemed not to bother Alpheus, who walked nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets. It was the opposite for Atlas, who was clearly bored. He then tried to find a way to start a conversation.

- Um... I know we're heading to the black market, but where exactly are you taking us?

- We're going to see the boss of this place. You've guessed it, but it was he who allowed you to enter, after a warning from one of his scouts.

- A scout? Alpheus was slightly surprised.

- Yes! The kingdom's soldiers closely monitor any illegal activity, so some of our men keep an eye on them to warn us of their approach. The merchant you saw in the Gateway City is one of them.

- Okay, I see. But... I wonder what we could have that would catch the attention of the boss of this place.

- You'll find out soon. Anyway, we're almost there.

After saying these words, the two young men and the young lady had now finished descending the many steps leading to the underground of the city, a surprisingly secret place for the kingdom's authorities.

For an underground, the place was very well lit and looked more like a small town, like a mini Santa-Rosa. The streets were very narrow but still left room for the few merchants who had settled there.

Customers were not very numerous. Something logical, since the black market was known to very few people.

As they walked through the underground, they couldn't help but attract the attention of the few people around them. These people already understood that they were newcomers to the area, as customers were very few.

After walking a few minutes through the city, they finally arrived at the end, where a large wooden building stood a few meters behind a fence. After passing through the gates of this fence, they found a man waiting for them in front of the building resembling a house also used for business.

The man who welcomed them stood at about 1.80 meters, he was an elf with short black hair, just like his eyes sporting a smile typical of dubious people, a somewhat mischievous smile.

"Hello, young gentlemen. Welcome to my place, the black market!"

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