A horn blew over the sound of a bustling marketplace as Mark’s strange ship docked at a wooden jetty, bobbing up and down. With a muffled thump, Aleks’ ship hit the side of the jetty. Dockworkers scurried into action and threw ropes at the men aboard as they secured the vessel. After they were secured, they took a moment to take in the sights of the city. They had entered through a large portcullis and into the port proper. The first thing that took their attention was the diversity of the structures as well as the ships that were moored.

On their far-right, a two-storey building painted in a deep blue stood watch over the bay. On the top of the building sat a few Otters that vigilantly kept an eye out for anything amiss. Behind it, they could see strange houses with low roofs. A large canal with a wooden bridge connecting to the walkway in front of the blue building split the section to the area where they were currently moored. A larger white building with four storeys was in front of them. It was built in a half-circle, creating an open space for merchants selling strange and mystical items. The building had multiple windows decorating its walls with vines ranked between them. It had large double doors in the middle that were open. Behind the white building, other buildings peeked out with flat roofs and people lounging on top.

Another large canal split the section up with an even larger wooden bridge connecting to the middle of the waterfront. That is where the largest of the markets were. The market-goers were of different races. Some Otters and Humans walked about perusing the exotic wares, while large lizard-like people - most likely the Draconians - made up most of the crowd. They were clothed in all different kinds of attire, but one thing that made them stand out except the red scales and obvious lizard features were their suspenders going over their shoulders. Now and then a blast of flame would go up in the crowd as a Draconian sneezed or coughed. The rest of the crowd gave them no mind and treated it as natural.

The building on the middle section - which was also the largest section - was a long double storey that went from one canal to the next. It was painted in black and the windows had thick wooden shutters that were open as some denizens looked out over the docks. The top of the building was also flat as the rest but had a lounging area with people drinking and watching the view.

To their left, where the building ended with the last canal, was a unique sector. It was a grass-green field dotted with rocks and stretched for a few kilometres in the distance. There was only one large building that strangely looked like an oven. Three lakes decorated it and now and then a solitary tree stood proudly. Flowers bloomed in a yellow hue, giving the area a warm summer feel. In the far distance, the field ended close to a massive wall that defended the city. One of the rocks stood up and walked into the lake. It was the Rockfolk sector.

Taking it all in, Aleks closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He inhaled the fresh air filled with the peace and prosperity of the city and released it. He opened his eyes and looked down at a woman waiting below. She had golden hair and a beaming smile with a petite nose and tanned skin. She was wearing black, form-fitting trousers - which was uncommon in Athens - with a loose white collar shirt.

“Hello, travellers! My name is Rita, and I’ll be your guide for the day,” she said in a friendly voice.

“Hey, Rita! I’m Luke, that’s Aleks.” Luke said as he pointed at him.” That’s Horus, Ikaros, Nike, Kastor, Damon and Thanos.” he continued with a smile. “The rest. . . you’ll meet eventually.”

The party smiled at her while they were introduced and waved when their names were said.

“Nice to meet you Luke and everyone else. Now if you don’t mind following me, we can get your accommodation for the night at the Union building. The first night is free.” Rita winked at them.

A few moments later and the group of almost thirty travellers were following Rita as she led them off the jetty. They walked through the market grabbing more attention they thought, but for the wrong reasons.

“Wow that’s a strong smell.” one of the merchants muttered as they passed his stall.

Rita turned around and smiled awkwardly at them.”You’ll be glad to know that each room has showers.”

“What are showers?” Aleks asked.

“Oh.” Rita mouthed. “It’s like bathing under a waterfall, but the water is warm,” she replied.

“That’s weird,” Ikaros said as he imagined it.

They arrived at the wide doors of the white union building where they promptly entered into a foyer. It had white tiles and a few benches for people to sit and wait on. There was a long wooden counter with attendants behind them. As the group streamed in, the attendants stood up and welcomed them, taking their names and assigning them room numbers.

“This is unreal,” Aleks muttered as he looked at the clean and foreign place.

“This is amazing!” Luke said loudly with an excited grin on his face.”We’ve been here for less than twenty minutes and I already love this place.”

“Agreed. I wouldn’t mind spending exile here.” Aleks said with a smile.”There are so many things to explore! Did you see the wares those merchants had?”

“I was too focused on following our guide,” Luke said as he watched Rita out of the corner of his eye.

“Ooh, you like her?” Aleks asked, interested.

“She is beautiful. And no one here knows my family name or what it means. . . a perfect time to get a woman that wants me for me, you know?” Luke said with a bittersweet smile.

“Let’s settle in first and find our footing, lady-killer.” Aleks playfully winked at Luke.

Aleks moved to one of the counters as it opened up. An older woman with a grey bun smiled kindly at him.

“Hello there young one, I’m Patricia. Can I get you a room for the night?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Hi, I’m Aleksander. Yes please!” Aleks happily replied. The people here were a lot friendlier than in Athens.

Patricia turned around and unhooked a key with a large tag attached to it from a wooden cabinet against the white wall.

“Here you go young man, room 49B.,” she said as she handed him the key.”Since you were so polite, I gave you a room with a nice view, enjoy it.” Patricia said with a wink.

“Thank you, Patricia, I appreciate it!” Aleks replied with a smile.”Where is this room?”

“See those stairs.” she pointed past him, towards a carpeted stairway on the left side of the room.”Just climb up them ‘till you can’t anymore and then follow the hallway. Your door will have the same number as the tag on your key.” She replied with a patient tone and her unwavering smile.

Thanking her, he walked up the stairs and found his room at the highest level. He entered the key into the lock and twisted. With a soft “clink”, the lock detached and the door opened onto a carpeted room with a small bathroom to the side and a soft bed in the centre. Light streamed through small gaps in the window shutters. He closed the door and walked to the shutters. Unlatching the simple lock, the shutters swung wide open, revealing a vista of the beautiful and exotic city. His room was on the fourth floor and overlooked the black building in the middle of the city, revealing a large dome-like structure. Canals with flowing water and small boats sprawled through the city and the Rockfolk fields shimmered in the heat of the day.

“I wish you could see this mom,” Aleks mumbled out loud.

A few moments passed before he shrugged off the morbid mood and glanced around his room. The bed had a green cover over it with two fluffed pillows ready to embrace Aleks’ head into a blissful much-needed sleep. Next to it was a small light brown table with a book lying on it. On the other side of the room stood a shower and toilet. After staring at the toilet for a while and inspecting it closer, he figured out its purpose. Fiddling with the showerhead and small copper lever attached to its pipes he came to a wet realization as to what Rita meant with a waterfall.

After the shower, Aleks was clean for the first time in months. The tension in his body was gone thanks to the heated water and with a satisfied sigh, he fell on the soft bed and closed his eyes.

The sound of soft snores disappeared when it mixed with the marketplace cries and the lapping waves against the hulls of the moored ships.

**

Aleks woke up at dawn to the sound of birds chirping. For a moment he lazily stared at the wooden ceiling. Then realization struck him. He was in a city in another world, and it was amazing. He stood up and washed his face before leaving his room. Going down the carpeted stairs he ran into Luke as he descended the stairs as well.

“The bed-” They said at the same time then stopped. Grinning at each other they continued their descent and arrived at the foyer. An attendant was on duty at the counters. They made their way to him.

“Good morning gentlemen. I trust the rooms were to your liking?” He asked with a polite smile.

“They were excellent. Tell me, good man, where can we find something to eat?” Luke asked as both their stomachs growled.

“Down the hallway, you’ll find double doors where there are tables and a kitchen. The staff there will assist you.” He said.

They said their thanks and went down the hallway. As they entered the room a delectable smell entered their nostrils. The smell of roasting pig, grilled onions filled the air, making their mouths drool. One of the staff members directed them to a table where they waited. A few moments passed when a door to the back opened and large ‘rock’ walked through. Their jaws dropped in shock. It was one of the Rockfolk. He was on the shorter side, standing at only 5 feet. What shocked them more was the fact that he wore a white apron and pulled a large container on small wheels towards the kitchen. The smell of freshly baked bread permeated the room as the Rockfolk person passed them.

“I was not expecting that,” Luke said.

Aleks nodded. His eyes were still glued to the back of the Rockfolk cook. A few moments later and their food came. Thin pieces of roasted pork with grilled onions and mushrooms, with each a freshly baked bun with melted butter on top. They ate voraciously and a few minutes later, they burped in satisfaction.

“That was the best breakfast I’ve ever eaten,” Aleks said with a smile.

“I wholeheartedly agree, and my family breakfasts can get pretty amazing,” Luke said with a laugh.

A few minutes of relaxation passed as the food settled in their stomachs when the door from the hallway opened and a young woman appeared. She had pale skin and black hair cascading down her shoulders. She made eye contact with them as her green eyes scanned them. Her knee-high boots impacted the wooden floor as she made her way towards them. She had leather pants on with the same white shirt as Rita, except a dark leather jacket covered her torso.

“Hi Luke, slept well?” she asked, giving him a once over.

Luke awkwardly ran his hand through his hair. “Yes I did, thanks, Rebekka,” he said uncomfortably.

Aleks looked between them as the signs of awkwardness were evident.

“Are you Aleksander?” Rebekka asked him as she looked him over.

“You can call me Aleks. Why do you ask?” he replied, unsure of what to expect.

“I’m supposed to introduce you to the different races.” she said, before jutting a thumb in Luke’s direction.”I showed him around yesterday.”

“Sounds good to me. Just one question. . . what’s with the atmosphere between you two?” Aleks asked confused.

“I’ll tell you some other time,” Luke said as he looked the other way.

“Don’t worry about it, when I show you around just don’t confess to me in the middle of the street,” Rebekka said with a laugh.

“He did what?” Aleks asked as he stared incredulously at Luke.

“Come on, let’s get going. We’ll head to the Draconian sector first.” Rebekka said as she walked away.

“You’re gonna tell me all about Luke.” Aleks loudly said as he followed her.

Aleks walked out of the union building, following the bobbing dark hair of Rebekka, as he went to explore the Draconian sector.