Raven woke up to the sound of creaking wood, the rhythmic clatter of wheels on a rough path, and the distant cawing of seagulls. Her head throbbed, a dull, pounding ache that made her wince as she opened her eyes. The sky above was a dull, overcast gray, a stark contrast to the bright sun she'd be used to back at the dungeon city. She blinked, trying to get her bearings, and realized she was lying on top of a pile of grain sacks, her body uncomfortably contorted in the narrow space.
"Ugh… where the hell am I?" she muttered, rubbing her temples and trying to sit up. The movement made her stomach churn, the remnants of the last day's drinking spree still swirling in her gut. She forced herself to look around...
The scene was unfamiliar, and Raven's confusion deepened as she spotted the unmistakable silhouettes of tall, jagged masts cutting into the sky. She could hear the low roar of the sea, the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Panic started to creep in as she scrambled to her feet, swaying as the caravan jolted over uneven cobblestones. She peeked out through a gap in the caravan's canvas cover, and her heart sank at the sight before her.
They were pulling into the Black Port.
A sprawling, chaotic city built along the coast, the Black Port was infamous for its crime, piracy, and overall lawlessness, this used to be a place so far away and dangerous that no good people would ever come here... after the dungeon appeared it became a not very used way to get there because it got even more dangerous with the new attention. The air was thick with the scent of saltwater, tar, and smoke, mingled with the stench of fish and rotting seaweed. Sleek ships with tattered sails were docked at the harbor, their crews of cutthroats and smugglers busy unloading illicit cargo. Seagulls squawked overhead, diving between the ships and scavenging whatever scraps they could find.
"What the hell…?" Raven hissed, her voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and frustration. This wasn't the Carcass Mountains; this wasn't even close. She scanned the caravan and recognized none of the faces. The men who had dragged her here were nowhere in sight, and there was no sign of the familiar dusty road she'd intended to take. Instead, she was surrounded by strangers... sailors, traders, and all manner of shady characters going about their business in the notorious port city.
"Fuck"
Raven jumped down from the sacks, staggering slightly as she landed on the cobblestones. Her legs felt like jelly, and she cursed under her breath, still feeling the lingering effects of the alcohol. She needed to figure out where exactly she was and how she was going to get out of this mess. As she glanced around she saw the buildings of the city. Most of them were built using the wood from ships that weren't able to travel by sea anymore... or ships sunken by angry pirates, used as trophies to show their might... this was no man's land, and even the kingdoms didn't bother with a place like this, too much trouble for little reward if the lawless wanted this forgotten land they may have it.
'Why does it have to be a place with water!?' Thought annoyed the cat bandit as she looked at the immensity of the sea, the weaves weren't kind, but violent and they struck at the docks trying to destroy the city in their wake 'I bet this is somehow that bitch Undine's fault!'
As if the spirit could hear her and mock her from the commodity of her shelter a wave crashed against the coastal fortifications and splashed salty water all over her. Raven recoiled, sputtering as the cold, salty spray drenched her from head to toe. The icy water cut through the remnants of her hangover like a slap to the face. She wiped her eyes, scowling at the crashing waves as if they were a personal affront.
"Great. Just perfect" she muttered, shaking her arms in a futile attempt to dry herself off. She looked like a drowned rat, and she knew it. There was no cloak or hood to hide her appearance; her ears and tail were fully on display, marking her as an outsider in this lawless port filled with hardened criminals and cutthroats. She was going to stand out here, whether she liked it or not, and that meant trouble.
Raven knew she couldn't just stand around gawking like a lost kitten. The Black Port was no place to be vulnerable or exposed, even for a second. She needed a plan. First, she needed to get a sense of direction, she didn't care anymore about going to the Carcass Mountains, the plan had shifted heavily, but at least she managed to leave the dungeon city... even so this place was worse.
She sauntered down the dockside, trying to blend in with the crowd while keeping her ears alert for any useful scraps of conversation. She passed by a group of pirates arguing over their next job, a merchant loudly haggling with a customer over some suspiciously obtained goods, and a scrawny street urchin trying to sell trinkets that were clearly picked off pockets.
"Hey, kitty girl!" a gruff voice called out from a nearby stall, where a fat man was gutting fish with practiced precision "Ain't seen you around here before. Lost, are ya?"
Raven shot him a glare, trying to gauge if he was a threat or just another nosy dockworker "I'm exactly where I want to be" she lied smoothly, her tail flicking behind her as she got closer to him. "I just arrived at this shithole but I already love it"
The fishmonger raised an eyebrow at Raven's response, his grin revealing a few missing teeth. "Love it, huh? Not many say that about the Black Port. You got guts, I'll give you that" He continued gutting the fish, his knife slicing through the flesh with ease as he spoke "But guts only get you so far around here, kitty" He took a token coin, made using some green metal and he threw it to her, it was all slimy because of his hands but even so she caught it in mid-air.
"What's this?" She asked curious.
"A token of goodwill, maybe it will keep your guts inside while ya are here" Said the man throwing a freshly gutted fish to the box.
Two big men, with muscular build came near the stall and took the boxes with the fish on their shoulders, not without eyeing Raven with a mix of discomfort and disgust, before walking back to a ship that was docked nearby, it looked exactly like the ship you don't want to find at sea if you are sailing, pale wood, tattered sails, skeleton figures decorating the sides... or maybe they were real skeletons, it was hard to say.
'That thing looks like a ghost ship' She thought looking at the massive vessel.
"May your journey here be full of blood and loot" The fat man smiled as he stabbed the knife into a board and laughed.
Raven nodded and kept walking through the docks. She had this feeling of danger kicking all over her, it was different than usual, this seemed more unpredictable, but for some reason, the thrill was building inside of her. She was no innocent angel, and even if she didn't have any wish to sail the sea or something like that, she must admit that she had some good memories of her criminal life.
'This might be a chance' She looked into the horizon, a ship different from the ones that were docked in this place was arriving at the dock slowly 'This might not be the original plan, but gotta work with what I have'
The ship had a flag she did not recognize, but it was obvious it was from a faraway land, she could see the wolf stare in the eyes of the denizens of the city. Fresh blood was arriving.