The Giantrock City docks were bustling with activity. Dockworkers unloaded boats of barrels of fish and pallets of lumber. Some pulled handcarts and wheelbarrows to and from the docks, while others shouted prices as they peddled goods right from the dock as they were unloaded directly into shop stands.
The docks were of sturdy construction but haphazardly designed, with more than few a dead end paths of irregular shapes and sizes. Boats were quickly coming and going, and the chaotic operation moved with surprising efficiency. The main thoroughfare was crowded by workers, adventurers and drunkards, and the party struggled to stay together as they muscled their way through. The crowded walkway led them past countless piers, and towards the expansive shadow of the giant rock looming overhead.
Just before they reached the shadow's edge, Eli pulled them to the side of the foot traffic and spoke as quietly as he could while still being heard over the raucous noise. "If you've got anything valuable in your pockets, put it Iris's bag. I'm told pickpocketing is damn near a profession down here."
Victoria deposited a few coins and a ring, Eli a small coin purse and a few folded pamphlets, and Autumn a handful of nuts and berries. They continued on into the shadows.
The atmosphere changed quickly, with the bright afternoon sun being replaced by flickering flames of lanterns and the warm air growing noticeably cooler. The single thoroughfare became two main avenues as the wooden docks acted like city streets through a cramped, ramshackle town. Music roared out of open tavern doors, countless street vendors peddled goods ranging from questionable food items to jewelry of dubious origins, and somewhere in the distance a blacksmith hammered away at steel.
"Where are heading?" Victoria asked, almost shouting over the noise.
"Not sure," Eli said, keeping his eyes on the crowd ahead as he slipped between and around people, "there's supposed to be elevating platforms that lead to an upper deck, then into the city."
After a while of aimlessly wandering, Autumn nudged Iris with an elbow and handed her a skewer of meat.
"Always keep some spending money for food," she said in response to Iris's quizzical look, as if that answered all of her questions. She spoke around the large bite of mystery meat she was already chewing.
Wearily, Iris accepted the skewer and took a hesitant bite. To her surprise, it was quite good.
"Shouldn't we get them some?" she asked.
"They're too square for snacks," Autumn said, "look at them, they're on a mission."
Sure enough, Eli and Victoria seemed completely focused on leading the way through the crowd. The busy, overbearing atmosphere made the journey feel stressful and rushed, but in truth they moved at an agonizing pace as they fought the flow of the crowd. Finally, after what felt like an hour, Victoria spotted an arrangement of heavy duty ropes extending up to a deck affixed to the underside of the rock far above.
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"There!" she pointed, as her gaze followed the ropes down to their origin, "they're coming from that tavern."
"Let's go," Eli said, picking up the pace as he pushed through the crowd.
Soon they were standing in front of a tavern with a large sign of carved wood depicting a fat, flopping fish.
"Do you think it's called the Flopping Fish?" Autumn asked without an answer.
Unlike most of the buildings here, this one had a wide porch lined with rocking chairs, complete with a seemingly unnecessary wooden awning. The door and all the shutters were closed and no one was going in or out. Eli climbed the steps and knocked. There was no answer, so he knocked again. After a moment, he hesitantly pushed on the door, and it opened.
The interior looked typical of a closed up tavern with upturned chairs on the tables and theme-appropriate wall fixtures like mounted fish skeletons and maps of various seas and oceans. On the far side of the tavern, an old, skinny human man in tattered grey robes and an equally tattered grey wizard hat was yelling.
"I been fishing since before this city was built! You think I don't know a fake when I see it?"
The target of his yelling was a small man in garishly colored clothes, his skin was green, his bald head was disproportionately large for his body, and his ears resembled those of an elf if they had been stretched out until the tips flopped over. Next to him stood a tall man with an athletic build, shiny golden skin and fine, soft brown hair that formed waves in front of his shoulders. He wore an unassuming white blouse tucked into pressed black trousers.
"Who the fuck are you calling a liar?" the green man demanded, "speaking of fish, I oughta gut you like one right here!"
"Father, please do not threaten violence," the tall man said in a calm, monotonous voice.
"I should hang you on my wall like a trophy!" The old man shouted back.
The green man pulled a dagger from his belt.
"Whoa, whoa!" Eli interjected, walking forward with his hands up as a gesture of peace, "let's all just calm down a bit."
The two angry men responded in unison, "who the fuck are you?"
"My name's Eli. I'm looking for a drink."
"Bar's closed," the old man responded, assuming a stance with his hands held out ready to counter an attack from the green man.
Victoria stepped into the tavern behind Eli. In a hand behind her back, she conjured two copies of the same card, injecting peace and calm into the auras of the two men.
"Your magic won't work on me, girl!" the old man snorted.
"What magic?" The green man turned to look, his eyes settling on Victoria, "what are you doing? Why don't I want to stab that guy anymore?"
"Father," the tall man spoke again, "perhaps we should take this opportunity to find someone else to swindle."
"Ahah!" The old man pointed a finger, "you admit it!"
The green man mumbled under his breath, "it's no fun if I don't even want to stab anyone." He snatched a yellow, sickly looking fish from the counter and turned to leave.
The pair crossed the bar and exited as Eli and Victoria stepped aside. Victoria could sense the instability of the green man's aura, the thin veneer of calm threatened to fracture with any further provocation. As they passed Iris and Autumn on the porch, the green man looked at Autumn and barked "the fuck are you looking at?"
Victoria shot a look at Eli, who quickly responded, "I got her."
Eli swiftly followed the two men out onto the porch, quickly stepping in front of Autumn -- who was already fuming and turning red in the face -- and grabbed her by the shoulders to usher her inside. Iris gave a little wave to the tall man as he passed, who nodded respectfully. Then, she blipped inside the bar and closed the door behind her.