Today starts like any other.
Like clockwork, the shop begins to move all on its own. Blinds open, the sign flips to Open, and brooms animate, sweeping up the dust overlooked from the night before.
Upstairs, the witch readies herself and dresses in her usual attire before descending the stairs and heading into the shop—ready for another day of business.
She runs a shop specializing in the trade of magical items—things adventurers might find in a dungeon, or masterwork pieces she manages to acquire from local artisans. Though, her shop also keeps a section for mundane gear, for those who need it.
Before settling into her usual spot behind the counter, she takes a moment to write on a chalkboard sign, which she brings out to the storefront to advertise today's sale—hoping to draw in more customers.
"Hard at work there, Aubrey?" a familiar voice calls.
"Oh! Wonderful morning, Mr. Wensley!" Aubergine turns and greets the old man with a smile. Their interactions are always brief, though she enjoys taking a bit of time to chat with the locals. Most of them are her regulars, after all, so it's worth keeping good relations—even if they don't often buy the more fantastical items she has on display.
Speaking of…
She glances back inside the shop, eyeing those very items gathering dust on the shelves—a rather unfortunate downside of setting up shop in the "middle of nowhere". Not that there's anything wrong with this town. It's just peaceful—incredibly so. Dungeons rarely appear nearby, which is strange. Normally, dungeons tend to form around settlements; the larger the town, the more frequently, and dangerously, they appear. This town isn't exactly tiny either. By all logic, there should be one or two new dungeons cropping up each week.
Aubergine could only hang her head and sigh as she made her way back inside to take inventory of her items. Not that there would be much change. Things weren't exactly flying off the shelves these days—but at the very least, it gave her something to do. Something to make her look busy.
A sudden tremor shook the room. She lifts her head up and raised a brow. Deftly setting a spell to stop her goods from spilling from out of the shelves. Once the tremors stopped, she released the spell and returned to her journal.
===
Kling-kling—SLAM!!
"Welcome to Aubergine's Magical Emporium..." she greeted lazily unaware of her door being kicked open. "What can I do you for?"
She looked up to find herself face to face with an out-of-breath adventurer, struggling to speak between gasps.
"Po—..." he wheezed. "Po...!"
"Whoa there, sit down for a second." She stood up and stepped around the counter, moving cautiously toward the man, trying to make sense of his desperate attempt at words.
"P-Potion, please! The healing kind—the most potent you've got! Quickly!" he begged, his voice cracking under the weight of his panic.
Aubergine nodded and hurried over to the potions on display. There was no time to hesitate—the adventurer had asked for the most potent she had. Without a second thought, she reached for the top shelf, pulling down every last vial. As she grabbed them, each vanished in a soft mote of light.
Her eyes lit up as a small notification flickered before her, confirming the transfer to her inventory:
[ Supreme Healing Potions – 5 ]
"Quickly!" the adventurer urged, anxiously glancing toward the door. He didn't wait for a reply—just turned and bolted, leaving the witch to catch up as best she could.
Aubergine followed, calling out, "Wait up!" But it was clear she needed to pick up the pace. With a small huff, she lifted the hem of her robe to give her long, lanky Elven legs more freedom to move, doing her best to keep up. It's a miracle she didn't lose him with all the crowd gathered outside the town.
Crowd?
As she made her way down the road, Aubergine noticed something strange—the once-quiet town was now bustling with people. A sea of unfamiliar faces surrounded her, each clad in adventuring gear and loaded down with equipment.
Did a dungeon finally appear nearby?
She got her answer the moment the adventurer led her into the town square. A Dungeon Raid staging area had been set up, buzzing with activity. She had been so focused on weaving through the crowd, chasing after the man, that she hadn't even noticed the colossal tower now looming in the center of town.
Her eyes widened. That wasn't just unusual. It was impossible.
Dungeons didn't look like this.
They never extended upward.
Traditionally, a dungeon's structure was subterranean—twisting deeper into the earth the further one went. But this... this tower stretched toward the sky like a jagged spire, its architecture an unnatural, otherworldly blend of ruin and magic.
An anomaly.
The adventurer led her to the medical tents.
Inside, wounded men lay across makeshift bedding hastily arranged by the guild. The air was thick with the scent of blood. Among them lay a man in critical condition—a miracle he was even still breathing. Bandages wrapped around nearly every inch of him, each one soaked and straining to hold back the bleeding.
It looked bad. Really bad.
More than enough reason for Aubergine to stop wasting time.
She knelt beside him, uncorked a vial of glowing red liquid, and gently poured it into his mouth—hoping, praying, that he wasn't too far gone.
[ Vitality significantly recovered to target creature. ]
The notification flickered to life before her eyes, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was working. The potion had taken effect.
Before her, the man's wounds began to close. The bleeding slowed. Gashes sealed, bruises faded. His erratic breathing steadied, and the groans of pain softened into silence as his body slowly began to recover.
"Will he be all right, ma'am?" the worried adventurer asked.
"His wounds are healed—at least, the ones I could see. You should have a physician or a chirurgeon check him over to be sure," she replied, offering a reassuring smile.
Then Aubergine turned her attention to the other wounded lying throughout the tent. "Want me to heal them too?"
"By all means—please do."
She nodded and moved from cot to cot, treating each of the injured with the same potion. Thankfully, none of their wounds were as dire as the first man's.
"They're your party members, I take it?" she asked as she worked.
"Yes... yes, they are," he said, his voice heavy with guilt. "I was foolish to push our luck in there."
He let out a sigh.
"The dungeon's only been up for a few hours, but I thought we could get in deep and grab the best loot before anyone else. I figured we'd make a pretty penny if we were fast enough."
He paused, glancing back at his comrades.
"We were just lucky another party found us in time."
"While I'd love to congratulate you on your near-death experience," Aubergine began, hands on her hips, "I do hope you realize these potions don't come free."
"Ah… right. Of course. How much do I owe you?"
A wide, saleswoman-like grin spread across Aubergine's face. Finally, someone had used one of her high-tier items.
"Well!" She clapped her hands together. "Five of these bad boys will set you back around 5,500 Crowns! Not a bad deal, right?"
"Huh?" A puzzled look fell across the adventurer's face. "Huh?" he repeated, more baffled the second time.
"No way. You're joking, right? That's way too expensive for a few potions!"
"Why would I joke, sir?" she replied, brow raised. "You asked for my most potent healing potions. Those things don't come cheap. And frankly, you're in no position to penny-pinch. It saved your comrade's life, didn't it? I assure you, this is a very fair price."
"I…!" He raised his voice, ready to argue—but in the end, he sighed, defeated. He rummaged through the party's coin pouch, counting out what they could muster.
"However..." Aubergine added, holding up a finger.
The adventurer looked up.
"I'll give you all a little freebie if you tell your friends about my shop. How's that sound?"
She smiled as the man shook her hand, offering heartfelt thanks—clearly relieved to hear he wouldn't be spending an entire year's living expenses just to cover five potions.
Despite technically counting this as a loss, Aubergine didn't mind. She had a good feeling that soon enough, adventurers would be flowing through her doors.
With a small wave goodbye, she turned and made her way back to the shop, ready to tidy up and prepare for the next customer.
It didn't take long for the wounded party members to regain consciousness. Once they had, they made their way to the nearest tavern to rest and recover. Drinks were poured—raised high in celebration of their survival—and in the midst of their chatter, the name of the Witch's Emporium was passed from one curious ear to the next.
The story spread.
And with it, the curiosity of adventurers and tavern-goers alike began to stir.
The next day starts like any other.
Yet, the moment the sign flips to signal that the witch is open for business...
The soft chime of the front door bell rings—the first customer of the day has arrived.
From behind the counter, the witch lifts her head, her expression calm and welcoming. A gentle smile tugs at her lips as she greets them:
"Welcome to Aubergine's Magical Emporium of Sublime Curiosities. What can I do for you?"