After experiencing the horrors of gluttony, Georgia thought greed would be even more horrific. However, to her surprise it was peaceful in a sad, haunting sort of way.

There were large stone structures carved within the walls and free standing buildings scattered throughout the land. Most were simple with a door and a few windows, but the larger structures were palace like. They had intricate designs, a testament to fine art and delicate architecture. Some were even adorned with glistening jewels. But the people didn’t seem to act like they were living in a land of riches. Most of them were gaunt and clad in rags as they quietly shuffled about.

“I suppose we should fan and out and look?” Georgia said in a near whisper.

Virgil chuckled. “You don’t have to whisper you know.”

“I know,” Georgia replied. "It just feels weird not to. It’s so damn quiet in here. What even goes on here?”

“Souls trying to remain human.” Old Verge said.

“Human?”

“Yes, dear child. See, while there are many decedent delights here, the people can’t really partake of them. At least not in the way they used to.”

“Yep, you take a little too much, yearn a little too much you start to change.” Virgil added.

“Dragons.”

“Bingo.”

Georgia turned to Drusilla and reached towards her. “And your friend is here. I’m so sorry.”

Drusilla shook her head. “Nothing to be sorry for yet. We don’t know if that…cursed…man is even telling the truth about Acacius.”

It seemed like Midas had no reason to lie to them, but Georgia thought better of saying that. There was clearly bad blood there and voicing support of Midas, no matter how benign, could be taken the wrong way. Georgia smiled and nodded instead. “Right! We’ll see for ourselves.”

***

The search of the initial area was less than fruitful. As Midas predicted no one wanted to help. Georgia understood. Keeping yourself from turning into a dragon for all eternity seemed like a higher priority than helping a random stranger.

They found a tunnel that lead deeper into the level far more luxurious than the previous one. The homes and fashion were more elaborate, clearly less afraid of turning into a beast than the previous group. Some even had their affliction on full display. A clawed hand here, a tail there, scaly skin and wings a common sight.

One of the afflicted, a petite Asian woman, approached her. She was young, couldn’t have been more than 19, with piercing red dragon eyes. Half her face was covered in scales. She didn’t particularly seem proud of this as she tried to use her long black hair to hide it. She bowed to them.

“Hello! You must be the hero everyone is talking about. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Familiar with the custom, Georgia bowed as well. “Thank you. There’s no need to be formal though. I’m no one special. Really.”

The girl laughed as she straightened her back. “Our hero is modest. Interesting. I’m Suzu.”

“Georgia. This is Drusilla, Old Verge, and Mr. Washington. As you may have already heard, we’re hunting a snake.”

“Yes! We’ve been on the lookout, hoping to capture it and keep it safe for you, but no luck.”

“That’s awfully nice of you.”

Suzu rubbed the back of her neck. “Unfortunately it’s not as noble as you think. I have some friends and we would all like to speak with you.”

Georgia turned to Virgil who shrugged. “Your game.”

“I don’t see why not.” Georgia said with a nod.

***

Suzu lead them through a series of twisted alleyways before finally leading them to a campsite. The people here were dressed and living more modestly than the neighborhood they came through. There were no electrical lights as opposed to the others. Just small torches and fires illumining the dark.

Suzu stopped in front of a large tent and let her guests pass before entering herself. There were three other figures sitting inside in wait. Georgia couldn’t make out their features too well in the dimly lit tent, but she was able to determine there were two males and one other female.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. These are my comrades Tonya, Ivan, and Viktor.” She said pointing from left to right. “We, along with another who can’t be with us, are the leaders of this group. We call ourselves the Good Acts.”

“Good Acts?” Georgia questioned.

“Yes.” Suzu nodded. “You see, we naturally splintered ourselves off down here. The first ‘neighborhood’ are people who are unaffected by the curse. The second is us, people who have mostly resisted their urges to give into greed but not as well. The last are the lost. They are dragons now.”

Georgia saw Drusilla grow pale out of the corner of her eye. “It’s not a permanent thing right? It can be reversed?”

“In theory, yes. But most are too far gone.”

“How would you reverse it?” Drusilla husked desperately.

Suzu’s eyes shifted towards her comrades before Ivan spoke up. “Good deeds. Unselfish acts. But many of them are too far gone for any deeds to put in a dent in the curse. That’s why those of us in this encampment call ourselves the Good Acts. By committing good deeds and living modestly, we hope to reverse our curses so we many return to the first neighborhood.”

“What’s stopping you from just going back there now?” Georgia asked.

“We are banished. Since we are further afflicted, they’re afraid we might lead them astray. That’s why we need you. We will trade our help in finding the snake in exchange for yours. We have a fellow leader, Yume, who has disappeared into the dragon’s lair. We need to know if it is too late for her. No matter the outcome if you find her and bring her back, we will help you.”

Georgia tried to hide her weariness. It seemed like an awful lot of work for an already packed schedule. Not only did they have to find Luci, but they had to find Drusilla’s friend as well. A third person to search for would cause further delays. God, did she want to avoid further delays. But it’s not like she had better things to do and since they were already searching for two people, what was one more.

Georgia took a deep breath and set her shoulders back in determination. “I’ll help you, but there are some things I need to know first.”

Suzu nodded. “Of course. You may ask us anything.”

“How did Yume become lost?”

Ivan sighed. “It was my fault. A member was worried about their friend who wondered off, possibly into the land of dragons. I went in to search but…I lost my way. I became…consumed. Yume went after me and pulled me back. She decided to go instead. I wanted to follow her but we both know I would not make it back if I went back in. She saved me.”

“And we haven’t seen her since." Suzu said quietly.

“I’m sorry. She sounds like a good person. We’ll do our best to find her.”

“Thank you.”

“One more thing. Do you know of anyone, or a dragon, named Acacius?”

Suzu nodded. “A fearsome beast. But no one has seen him for a long time. Word has it he has barricaded himself in his lair. Why?”

“Midas just said he might be able to help us.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. He has never been kindly or done anything with a motive.”

Georgia shot Virgil a wayward glance, killing the smart ass reply that was most likely on the edge of his tongue.

She shrugged before responding. “It is hell after all. Haven’t come to expect anything less. Let’s find your friend.”