A Midnight walk

Finn fell asleep as soon as he lay down, but his vivid dreams kept him tossing and turning. Eventually it wake him up at around midnight.

Sitting up and looking outside to estimate the time, Finn tried to recall what he had been dreaming. All he could remember was that it was dark and there was lots of blood and violence.

It was disturbing. Finn had experienced nightmares before, but they never had felt so real. In the end he couldn't make sense of it and blamed it on the fight with the boss rat and his mind's exhaustion from over exerting his mana.

Although he still felt mentally exhausted and his mana hadn't fully recovered, Finn's body was too stimulated to lie still. He decided to go out for a walk to calm down.

Normal people didn't usually roam the streets at night. Although it was safe during the day, even the city guards would hesitate to go on patrol alone. Finn's mind was too exhausted to think of this, but at least he had the common sense to wear his dark leather armor.

Bringing along his daggers for self defense, Finn slipped out of the inn to explore the city's nightlife.

The previously bustling market street was quiet. There was still the occasional passerby, usually cloaked or hooded. Either to avoid being identified or to appear intimidating so as to scare off trouble.

Although there were magic lanterns spread along most streets, there were plenty of shadows. Finn's eyes adjusted to the dark as he took a deep breath of the cool night air. He kept to the shadows as he made his way around.

Seeing a few shady looking people sneaking around, Finn remembered something from his childhood. As a street kid, he had heard from oldest members of his group that there was a hidden organization called the thieves guild. Only the oldest of the street kids would meet with them occasionally to sell off their stolen goods.

If he could find the guild he wouldn't have to worry about looking for a place to sell off all the stuff he had grabbed during his escape. The Thieves guild fences, or merchants that would deal in stolen goods, would buy almost anything. They wouldn't pay much, but it was no questions asked.

Approaching the harbor area things got a little more lively. There were a few taverns that were still serving ale. Most of the customers at this hour weren't the savory type, so regular people avoided them. The most interesting ones were probably the retired merchant ships refitted into floating pubs.

Intrigued, Finn boarded one called 'The Seagull's Roost'. It was a medium sized establishment, and seemed popular amongst the sailors during the day. At night, it was a scruffier, wilder patronage.

As he made his way up the gangplank he understood its name came from. It's deck, no longer in use was currently occupied by no less than forty seagulls. Apparently comfortable around people, they only eyed Finn suspiciously as he made his way to the entrance.

Finn entered and made his way to the bar where a large person was pouring drinks from a keg. They had several mugs in one hand and filled them all swiftly before passing them to the customers.

When Finn paid his 5 coppers for the regular brew, he was noticed that the bartender was in fact a muscular woman. She had tattoos covering both her exposed arms and was wearing a heavy looking leather armour that was covered with hand-sized grey fish scales.

Noticing his gaze, the bartender smiled and proudly explained.

'The scales are from a monstrous fish with a draconic bloodline. Back when I used to captain this ship out west, the fish leaped out of the water onto the deck. Half the deckhands were injured or lost to the sea before we could slay it. When we got back, selling it's meat and scales paid for the refitting of the ship and the retirement for all the sailors. I kept a few scales as a souvenir, they make good armor too. Almost as good as genuine dragon scales.' At this point another customer ordered a drink so she got back to work.

Enraptured by the story, Finn found himself a seat in a corner and sipped his ale while imagining what that epic battle must have been like.

A loud cheer woke him from his thoughts, someone had won big at dice and treated his fellow players to a round of drinks. Looking around Finn noticed all sorts of interesting characters.

At a nearby table, two skinny hooded figures passed each other stuff under the table. Further in was a dwarf competing against a group of sailors at drinking. It was unusual to see dwarves on a ship, they usually preferred to keep their feet safely planted on the ground.

A couple small shadows caught Finn's eye. They were weaving amongst the customers, unnoticed by most, until they found a target. Finn couldn't tell if they were children or just halflings, either way the snooty looking elf they had chosen would find himself missing his coin pouch and dagger when he sobered up.

Seeing the two pickpockets succeed and leave, Finn finished the last of his drink and slipped out after them. He was quite interested to find out if they knew of the Thieves guild.

Being taller and quicker than the two, Finn caught up pretty quick, but chose to maintain a certain distance. Following them through the city for an hour had led Finn to two more pubs, and an inn. Never staying longer than a couple minutes, the two thieves were in and out again before anyone noticed them. When they finally didn't exit the next tavern, Finn thought he had found something. The place's name was 'The Rat's Rest' which Finn found suitable, considering the state of the neighborhood. The buildings were mostly single story shacks, the exception being this establishment which had a second floor.

Tucking his coin pouch into a chest pocket for safekeeping, Finn went in.