Cold wind bit into Kristens face, making its way past her thick feathers and hitting her skin directly.
Goosebumps rose like a wave and spread down her spine, causing her to shiver.
'OOOOOLALAAAAaaaa'
It was the first time that she had ever felt such a chill in her new life as a bird and, if she was being totally honest, she was kinda into it.
Well, at least for now.
Lucia used her power to make them as unsuspicious as possible, making it seem like they were just a trio of birds flying around to the few people who had actually seen them.
Since they had originally landed on the borders of the city they were a couple of hundred meters away from the ships so, like the great leader she was, Lucia led Kristen and Olivia down a fast yet hidden route.
The distance to the docks decreased in a rapid pace and soon they had reached their destination.
The smell hit them first.
Salt.
Tar.
Fish.
'This is fucking GROSS. Ew.'
It rolled in thick waves from the entirety of the docks, mixing with the sharp bite of frost that was still clinging stubbornly to quite literally everything.
Kristen pulled her head back in disgust.
'Okay, this is a little less romantic than what it looked like in the sky.'
Below them, the docks stretched out in organised chaos. Workers hauled crates up wide planks. Sailors tightened rigging. Thick ropes groaned as they were pulled taut around wooden posts. Gulls screeched overhead, diving toward unattended scraps.
From what she had observed in this life, sects and organisations blended so seamlessly into society that no one even noticed it. Hell, half of the people down on the docks probably belonged to a sect or some other organisation.
Another thing that she had observed was that the boats in this harbour were really....depressing to look at.
Mold and who knows what else was creeping along the bottom of the boats, making it not only look but also smell bad.
This wasn't true for all of the boats there though, some of them were in great condition, the best ones even seemed decorated by the theme of their captains.
The patterns engraved on the wood of one of them glowed a faint purple, just like the scholarly woman who was giving orders to her subordinates on the deck.
That was the ship that they had chosen for their journey.
Up close, it looked very different. But that was to be expected since their first impression of it was on the border of the actual city.
'She must be the captain.'
The big ship they had spotted earlier turned out to not even be a merchant or cargo ship like they had assumed, instead it was a...pirate ship?
By observing the humans interactions they had found out that it was actually a pirate ship, and a well known one at that.
'Thats probably why it hasn't been attacked yet. Those humans here are afraid.'
Kristen deduced what it all meant in a surprisingly short amount of time.
She glanced over at the others faces and saw that there wasn't any reaction, telling her that there wasn't going to be a change of plans just because of the new revelations.
Kristen slowly blinked.
"…So," she whispered, "we are boarding with criminals."
Olivia tilted her head slightly. "We rob people for a living, your words, remember?"
"That is different," Kristen insisted quietly. "We are elegant thieves. They look like they stab."
Lucia's gaze remained fixed on the ship.
Up close, it was far more imposing than it had seemed from the sky.
The hull was reinforced with darkened steel plating along its lower half. Carved patterns spiraled along the wood, intricate arrays that shimmered faintly purple, matching the aura of the woman standing at the helm.
She was tall, posture relaxed but commanding, long dark coat brushing against her boots as she issued instructions. A small gold monocle rested on her right eye, giving her the aura of a knowledgable scholar.
Her features were soft yet hard at the same time, making her look weak but feel strong.
Even at this distance, there was a sharpness to her presence.
Sailors moved quickly when she spoke.
No hesitation.
No arguing.
"…She's strong," Olivia murmured.
Kristen squinted. "You can tell from here?"
"Yes."
Lucia didn't bother to comment, but her eyes did narrow slightly in suspicion.
The deck of the pirate ship was far cleaner than the surrounding vessels. No mold. No sagging sails. The ropes were coiled neatly and weapons were visible along the railings.
Kristen swallowed nervously.
"Remind me again why we're not choosing to board a boring merchant ship full of cloth and mild disappointment?"
Lucia answered, "Because merchant ships are inspected more thoroughly at departure and arrival."
Olivia added, "Pirates rely on speed and surprise. They can't afford delays."
Kristen paused.
"…Oh."
That made unfortunate sense.
The regular men on the dock didn't dare make eye contact with the subordinates of that mysterious lady, their movements getting frantic when near them.
The captain - if that's what she was - rested one gloved hand on the railing and looked out over the water with sharp focus.
The sailors began untying the main anchoring ropes.
A horn sounded once, low and commanding.
The ship was preparing to depart.
Lucia made a decision in that moment.
"We need to board now."
Kristen's head snapped toward her. "Now now?"
"Yes."
There would be no better moment, their attention was divided and the energy on the docks would be shifted toward departure, making it the perfect time to move.
Lucia took off first, gliding low along the line of warehouse roofs before cutting sharply toward a stack of supply crates positioned near the rear of the pirate ship's makeshift bridge that connected them to the docks.
Olivia and Kristen followed like a pair of shadows.
"If I get stabbed and die, I'm haunting both of you," Kristen muttered under her breath.