Any non violent way to get out of the Old City?

[kionashi]

***Spoilers of the early game ahead ***

I just reached Neketaka for the first time and while exploring the slum I saw a lift to go to the old city, I spoke with the woman who had her husband sent there and I promised to look for him there. Now I went there and after exploring a little bit I noticed the lift is gone and I can't go back up. So I decided to explore the place and after some pretty difficult fights I found the "Undercroft" some kind of secret pier that pirates use to smuggle stuff.

So far so good, but the problem is that watermancers there are not friendly, and when crossing the rope and trying to talk with the Pirates there I only have the options to "Attack" or "Leave" (but both choices end up in fight) Now since I think those are the pirates that the woman in the slums need to escape Neketaka and go back to her village I would prefer not to fight them. I saw in other playthroughs that people can speak with them but I don't have the options, maybe I needed to start another quest before going down?. can I escape without figthing them?

I tried exploring everything else and even after defeating a giant worm I found no way to go back to the surface. I saw a door that needs 2 items to open, and while I have one of them I believe the second Item is the horn you get when looting a body activating a million zombies and I can't win that battle.

I tried to sneak pass the pirates I can talk to, but I just went to another level filled with pirates I can't sneak pass through and they are inmediatly hostile.

So is there another way to get out? or Im forced to fight my way through the pirates (probabbly costing that woman her ticket out) to reach the surface?

[Du-Vu]

You kind of came through the back door, yeah. There are two exits to the Undercroft, either the stairs to the northwest past the rope, or a rowboat to the east if you skirt around the walled hideout.

You can use some sparkcrackers to get the guards to walk out of the way while you sneak past.

Old advice but still good: save often and in different slots in case you get stuck or want to go back and try something different.

[valium]

If you took too long and the lift went back up, the only choice is to fight or sneak your way through the pirates. Hope you have someone with sneak, or have some thief's putty or firecrackers.

[iamdorf]

You can do Dereo's quests and get invited to the old city that way. I noticed that after I helped the Dawnstars I got an invitation from him to do some quests. It starts with you acquiring a shell from someone in Serpent's Crown (where the palace is) and then he sends you down to the old city. You don't have to kill anyone as long as you can talk someone out of fighting you after you get the shell.

[psychotron666]

Originally posted by iamdorf:

You can do Dereo's quests and get invited to the old city that way. I noticed that after I helped the Dawnstars I got an invitation from him to do some quests. It starts with you acquiring a shell from someone in Serpent's Crown (where the palace is) and then he sends you down to the old city. You don't have to kill anyone as long as you can talk someone out of fighting you after you get the shell.

This advice is irrelevant for the OP. He went in the back way and took too long so the lift wasn't there. What you're proposing is impossible for him at this moment