Jaeger was standing against the railing of the fore deck, enjoying a quiet smoke, when the Melodom came within viewing distance of their destination. He was done with training, having spent the journey training, not only with Tiga, but also with Kaeleth and Tiber; although the latter gave up after a single day, muttering something about battle junkies. Thanks to Tiga, he felt much more confident in fighting with his new sword, and working with Kaeleth helped him get in sync with her, or as much in sync as he could with someone who seemed to change her fighting style every other move. As she told him.
“Unpredictability is its own kind of predictable. Just expect me to always change, and you’ll be fine.”
He figured it was a good thing they were going after this flesh trader; they’d make a good test run for their teamwork. As he finished his smoke and went over the information on the flesh trader, his thoughts were interrupted by a nearby crewman.
“Flags off the starboard side!”
The call was quickly taken up by every visible member of the crew on deck, and it quickly became a klaxon of noise. As he snubbed out his cigarette, he caught sight of Captain Tiber and First mate Tiga coming out onto the deck in a hurry; the captain from his quarters and the first mate from below deck.
“Report!”
“Young John spotted sails off the starboard side, and Big Terry caught sight of the flag’s captain.” The crewman, a scarred human, seemed to hesitate before speaking. “He says it’s the Republic. They’ve got the wind on us and are mayhap four hours out.”
That seemed to mean more to Tiber than Jaeger, as the captain went dead silent for a time before rushing to the wheel.
“Ah, matie, you make that sound bad. Just a ship bearing our home’s colonizers, sorry rulers, flags.” A gleam seemed to shine in the captain’s eyes as he took the wheel and started to twist some of the handles. “Now you know me, mate, I’m a patriot, so I’m quite happy to hear about our dear rulers’ boats. Unfortunately, I don’t think our two passengers would much like an introduction.”
As he fiddled with the wheel, Tiga cleared the deck and roused the ship’s mages.
“And here on the Melodom, we keep our passengers’ happiness as our highest priority.”
Kaeleth, having appeared on deck, called out.
“I’d like your cabin then; your quarters seem much more accommodating than what we’ve got now.”
Without missing a beat, Tiber called back.
“Second highest priority.”
Tiga finished clearing the deck and rushed back.
“Decks clear or tied down, and the mages are ready.”
He flashed her a golden smile and finished with his adjustments to the wheel.
“I’m for drinking in a pub tonight, so let’s say we arrive a bit quicker than expected.” The wheel started to light up with dark watery runes. “Mages! Set up the funnel. Crew! Wave a hardy farewell to our Republic’s navy. Passengers! Hold tight.”
With that, the mages, stationed across at intersections of the deck, started to chant and wave their foci. This was his first time seeing it here, but Jaeger recognized group ritual magic. Whatever spell they were casting focused on the ship, more specifically, the ship’s wheel. The runes on it lit up brighter and brighter before Tiber grabbed the wheel from the inside and pulled it in two. As he did this, the water around them rose to cover the ship and formed a tunnel.
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“LET’S RIDE THIS FUNNEL!” Tiber cried out.
“ALL THE WAY!” The crew yelled back in response.
As though that activated the magic, the ship shot forward, causing Jaeger and Kaeleth to nearly go flying. A quick focus of his will had a pair of chains secure them to the deck, though, and from there the pair watched as the ship flew down a tunnel of magic and water. It was hypnotic and beautiful, and it was also short. Just as they grew comfortable underneath the canopy of water and aquatic life, they found themselves back beneath the sun’s warm embrace.
“Welcome to Istavil, home to all manner of mercantile and opportunistic scum,” The darkling called out as he pushed the wheel back together, before taking a deep breath. “Mmm. Reminds me of home.”
The magical appearance of the ship didn’t draw much of a commotion from the dockside. Even as they pulled into port, only a pair of people came to greet them: a muscular orc and a bespectacled goblin. The pair reached the port and waited for the Melodom to drop anchor and lower its gangplank before calling out.
“Istavil Port Inspector!” The orc yelled out. The tone was aggressive, but he still waited to be invited aboard.
“By the Abyss, I hate these types. Tiga go loosen two of our less valuable bolt holes.”
“Drinks, drugs, or weapons?”
“I think one of ILC hooch and one of desert sand.”
With a nod, the tigristhrope woman moved below deck.
“You two might as well shove off and get to whatever business you’re up to. The Port Inspector won’t care much about you. Once we’ve finished up, if you need me, swing by the Treacled Tart; it’s a pub on Whirlpool Street.” He said before handing them a dark crystal. “If you’re in real danger, break this; though if you do, it’ll cost extra.”
Jaeger offers the crystal to Kaeleth, who rejects it, so he pockets it and they head down the gangplank.
“Oh, and if you’d be so kind, send up the Port Inspector,” Tiber calls out after them.
The pair passes the Inspector and waves him aboard as they head into Istavil. Out on the dock, they see a normal dock at work. A few dockworkers are standing around a slipway in front of a tavern. They seem to be watching a floating crate in the water, as the pair passes, they can hear the men speculating where the crate might have come from. This port seems to be home to a wide variety of ships, from deep ocean travelers here for a few months to local fishing boats.
As they’re moving through the dockside, Kaeleth pulls Jaeger out of the way of a trail of wagons that come rushing past, laden with goods and people. As they make their way away from the dockside, they start passing stalls, fish markets, and merchant vendors, offering local trinkets and foreign wares in equal measure.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Kaeleth asks after the fifth time Jaeger pulls them onto a new street.
“Yes. I just went back over the info. The flesh trader has two locations they frequent: their shop and their mansion.”
“They? I thought this was just one man.”
He shrugged.
“This flesh trader likes to sculpt and rearrange their own look on the regular. From what I read, they aren’t just limited to changing how they look. They can change anything and everything, including their gender, their organs, and this last one is just rumors, their species too.”
She stopped in the street, causing a pickpocket who was following her too closely to slam into her back. She drew a wicked and hooked dagger from her person, stabbed the pickpocket, and kicked their body away. As she disappeared the dagger back on her person, she caught up to Jaeger, who hadn’t stopped moving.
“If the flesh trader changes their look so often, how will we find them?”
“Vanity,” He said, glancing around before continuing. “They change everything except two things. Their eyes, which are described as a haunting cat’s eye yellow, and a tattoo on their right wrist, look like a triangle with a sharp tail and two horns.”
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a rendition of the tattoo and passed it to Kaeleth. She looked it over; she’d expected something more uniform, but this had a jagged and chaotic quality to it. After a few moments, she balled up the paper and consumed it in a ball of chaotic energy.
“I like it. What does it mean?”
“No idea, the info didn’t have solid evidence either. It’s believed to be an identifier for whatever group they’re a part of or trained them. I’m liable to agree with that.”
She nodded.
“Makes sense. I guess I won’t be getting that tattoo.” She checked their surroundings. Jaeger had led her into a more affluent part of the port city. “Where are we?”
“Near the shop and mansion, the flesh trader works out of the upper merchant district and lives in the lower noble district. We’ll get a room in this district to work out of and then recon the shop.”
