A soothing melody reached the ears of Liam and his friends. This time it came from multiple voices.
"We're already close."
"Mhm. Our target should be one of those islands over there."
Quickstep pointed towards the front where a chain of smaller islands could be seen. The boat was still moving, slowly approaching the islands. With the help of the melody and the quest marker, Quickstep quickly pinpointed their target. She brought the boat closer, and the friends got a good look.
The island was surprisingly big. Black rocks made up its coast. A jungle grew all over the island, but it was permeated with orderly paths coming from all sides. The island was even quite busy. At least a dozen ships were surrounding it.
Just as the friends came closer, a batch of sailors was coming out of the jungle. They laughed and shouted approaching the coast. There were a few sirens sitting on the rocks, their songs never ceasing. The sailors approached the sirens, exchanged a few friendly words, and boarded a rowing boat to return to their ships.
"What is this? Did the sirens open some trading post?", asked Quickstep, baffled. But the others were just as surprised.
"Perhaps the siren earlier was only a guide."
"Seems like they stopped tempting ships to crash and switched to another business."
The friends were quite amused by this development. They brought their boat closer and Silent Acacia unfastened the anker. With a jerk the boat came to a halt. Luckily their vessel also had a rowing boat attached. They let down the rowing boat and used it to reach the island.
"Finally!"
Cyclone let out a shout of joy as she felt the solid ground under her feet. She raised her hands, just short of crying tears of joy. Her friends snickered at her dramatic display.
Just then one of the sirens nearby moved. She pulled lower body out of the water and revealed a gorgeous fish tail with jade-green and azure scales which reflected the light of the sun. Each drop of water running down the scales seemed to contain its own rainbow. The friends were enraptured by the marvellous display. However, it didn't last long. An azure light flashed over the fish tail, and it was suddenly replaced by a pair of legs covered by a long, green skirt.
The siren smiled gently as she stood up and walked over towards the group.
"Welcome to Small Haven Island! You can call me Solia. It looks like this is your first time on our little island. Do you want me to give you a little tour?"
Solia's voice was gentle, relaxing the soul. The friends unconsciously got a good impression of her. But after a brief discussion they still rejected her offer.
"Alright. Still, please listen as I will explain the rules briefly. There is not much to remember. One: no fighting on the island. Two: Don't take anything you haven't paid for. Especially the jungle's animals! Three: To enter Small Haven Island, we ask for a small fee of five silver."
"Paying again…?"
Cyclone was annoyed considering all the money they paid just to find Ruxor. But there was nothing they could do. The friends split the money evenly and were allowed to enter the island. Solia wished them a bright day as she stepped aside.
"Now I'm curious what about this island is worth five silver coins!"
Saying so, Cyclone took the lead. The friends followed the path through the jungle, looking left and right. Orange lanterns and decorative cloth stripes accompanied the visitors on the way. From time-to-time curious feline beasts came close to the path without attacking. A sweet, dreamy smell filled the air. Colourful birds played among the treetops.
"It's so beautiful…"
"Oh look, look. A parrot landed on my shoulder."
"Wow, that beast is fast, chasing through the jungle!"
Soon the friends were exclaiming in awe, forgetting about the price. After a couple of minutes the foliage in front of them became sparse, revealing the core of the island. It was a small paradise providing enterntainment for weary seafarers. The plants had been thinned out but a few towering trees remained, serving as support for tropical tree houses. The ground was planted with colorful flowers and bushes which surrounded a few smaller wooden houses. The buildings offered various services. Shops, taverns, massage parlours, and more could be found.
Sailors were running up and down some spiral towers with stairs. They were laughing and singing. Some people argued but no one dared to cause trouble despite the lack of obvious guards. The friends took in the boisterous atmosphere when there quest suddenly got updated, telling them to ask around for Ruxor.
"Damn, this place looks great!", exclaimed Quickstep. She felt reminded of the pirate towns she knew from movies, greatly enjoying the atmosphere.
"I agree but we are a bit short on time…", reminded Silver Blade.
"A pity."
"It truly is. But now that we know about this place, we can come back any time."
Silent Acacia suggested this to Quickstep, earning his girlfriend's appreciation. She rewarded him with a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Damn, in public?"
"Have some consideration for us singles!"
Hearing the protests of her friends, Quickstep laughed and gave Silent Acacia another kiss on his cheek. The other's opened their eyes wide upon witnessing this provocation. Silent Acacia, however, turned red from embarrassment. He hastily diverted everyone's attention:
"Guys, let's focus on the quest, right? What does it say? Ask around for traces of Ruxor. Should we split up?"
"Sure, sure. Whatever."
"I'll go with Acacia!", stated Cyclone, earning her strange gazes from the others. Quickstep chuckled as she asked for the reason.
"We can't let you two go without supervision. Who knows where you will scurry off to?"
The friends all broke out in laughter. After a few seconds they calmed down, decided on the teams, and dispersed.
Cyclone was walking next to Quickstep and Silent Acacia, keeping an eye on the couple. They didn't go far and entered one of the first taverns. Shouts and laughter could already be heard from outside. When the trio stepped in, they saw that most of the tables were occupied by sailors, all in a great mood. In one corner was a larger group of people. They had rough faces and carried jagged weapons making their identity as pirates easy to guess. The pirates shouted loudly as they played with some dice. No one else dared to come close.
The opposite was the case on the other side of the tavern, where a constantly growing group of sailors watched three sirens singing, putting their enticing voices to good use. And between all of that were graceful waitresses serving drinks to everyone who could afford it.
"So, where do we start now?", asked Cyclone while scanning the tavern. Quickstep pondered for a moment before pointing at a table at the centre of the tavern. A few mostly older sailors were sitting there. Form the way they conversed with the waitress they were quite familiar with her.
"Those look like they come here often. They might have seen Ruxor."
"Well, let's try."
The trio walked forward and stopped next to the central table. Four sailors and one waitress turned towards them. Stern gazes filled with hardship scrutinized the three juniors. But Quickstep was not intimidated as she began talking:
"Sorry to interrupt you, but can I ask you a question?"
One of the sailors played with the cup in his hand as he answered with an arrogant tone:
"I don't know. Can you?"
Cyclone rolled her eyes. Why did this guy sound like one of her former teachers? Fortunately, Quickstep was not discouraged.
"I can. So, we are searching for a friend of ours. A goblin called Ruxor. Did you perhaps see him? Small, yellow trousers…"
"Ruxor? Ha! Of course I saw him. He was impossible to miss!"
One of the sailors exclaimed. He took his hand away from his long, grey beard and pointed at the neighbouring table.
"That goblin sat on the table over there. He wouldn't stop boasting. I heard the entire story. Best fisher in the world. Once caught a Red Reef Whale. His fishing rod will surely become a legendary artifact in the future. He even claimed he is friends with a titan. Ha! I didn't believe a single word but at least he knows how to tell a story. If only he wouldn't shout loud enough for the entire tavern to hear him while doing so."
"Great! Do you know where Ruxor is now?"
"Do I look like I would stalk a goblin? He talked too much and annoyed Berreck's gang over there. They started arguing and the goblin left in a huff. No idea where he went. Perhaps he left the island and Berreck's gang caught up. If so, he's probably swimming with the fishes now!"
The three friends looked at each other. Ruxor couldn't have died, could he? No, they needed to find him for the quest. Surely, he was still alive. But where did he go? Should they ask the pirates?