The tavern door hangs open behind Raven and Elian, spilling cold salt wind across the floorboards. Ahead, the docks answer with that same heavy thump, thump, thump, boots marching in perfect time.
Elian
Those guards are not patrolling. They are being driven.
At the edge of the pier, one thrall turns. Its glowing eyes fix on Raven’s hidden shape, and the whole line of men shifts toward the tavern mouth as if tugged by one leash.
Raven
If they want the scroll, they can earn it the hard way.
Elian’s hand tightens on the scroll case, then he points past the guards to a stack of netted crates near the water. A thin thread of black mist snakes from the shadows beneath them, pulsing toward the thralls like a heartbeat.
Elian
There. That is the source. Break it, and the guards may wake.
The nearest thrall draws its blade and advances, forcing Raven and Elian to choose between the pier line and the hidden knot of corruption.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the source of the thrall-making