Finches

Chapter 7 - The Infinite Authority

Colt typically made a great effort to avoid anyone associated with the Authority. Piracy in itself was a crime, and on top of that the Authority seemed to have something personal against all pirates. So, as you might imagine, strolling into an authoritarian base wasn't an activity Colt partook in very often. Or more accurately, ever. He also never typically stayed on land for very long, either, which meant he was breaking all kinds of trends. He'd just have to round it up to the unusual week he was having.

He hoped the Authority base would be easier to find than the fish shop had been. He did a quick look-around of the area, but all he saw was more of the same. Buildings upon buildings, all advertising something different yet all basically the same. So instead of wandering around aimlessly, Colt thought he might try another tactic.

He grabbed the arm of someone as they passed by him. "Hey, do you happen to know where—"

The man he'd grabbed yanked his arm free. He shot Colt a disgusted look before carrying on about his business.

"I guess not, then," Colt said to himself.

Colt tried to remind himself that he wasn't on a pirate ship anymore. He was around people—civilians—who lived a more... comfortable life. He got the feeling that grabbing someone at random wasn't as common here as it was on the Bloody Manta. Most things probably weren't.

For try #2, Colt walked up to a lady who was standing outside her shop, promoting something. Her whole face was smeared in make-up, and she had a unique head of hair that looked suspiciously like a wig. As Colt approached, she held out her sign to him. To be nice, Colt read it.

FORTUNE-TELLER INSIDE! WHAT WILL YOUR FUTURE LOOK LIKE?

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Colt admitted to the lady.

"Well that's enough for a very detailed answer," the lady replied, nodding at the money still in Colt's hand.

Colt shoved the notes in his trousers. "That's okay," he told the lady. "I'm planning on finding the answer elsewhere. On that note, do you happen to know where the Authority is located?"

"The Authority? Well the headquarters is in Finite City, and there's a base and an outpost in Goldtown. If you want a more specific answer, you'll need to ask a more specific question."

"Okay. Where do I go if I need to make contact with the Authority? It's urgent."

The lady just nodded like she knew exactly what Colt was talking about. "Always is, isn't it? You'll definitely want to go to the outpost. That's on the south shore of the island."

"Perfect, thank you."

But the lady wasn't listening anymore. Someone else had just walked by, and so she'd resumed her duty of shoving her poster in peoples' faces.

Cool, Colt thought as he turned away from the lady. The south shore of the island.

Then he realized he had no idea where the south shore of the island actually was. He considered going back to the lady, but a whole crowd had gathered around her and he didn't feel much like wading through them. Plus, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to strike up another conversation with the lady. She kind of freaked him out.

Colt wandered around a little more, walking down city paths full of shops and making random turns. He knew he was still heading in the opposite direction of the old man's cabin, but other than that he was pretty much lost.

He was about to just turn around and try to head back to the cabin when he made it out of the maze of shops. He came out upon a clearing of sorts, in which he could actually see past the endless roofs of the shops. Before him was an absolutely massive circular lake. The main path of the town extended around the lake for convenient passage, and all around the lake was—you guessed it—more buildings. This was, Colt supposed, just in case you by any odd chance still had any money left over after making it out of the first maze of shops.