Trip to Slant Rock Isle [Past]

[Kage]

Kage kept quiet during the exchange, mostly just having a small smile cross his face. He was anxious to get started.

[Castor Phecda]

Castor gave a chuckle to the comments. "I wouldn't consider ourselves an adequate team for this mission if we didn't at least see your death as a hindrance to the mission." He responded with a smile. "I imagine we can pull you out of either of those situations however." He added, more confidently. "Depends on how big this lizard is."

[Magikeeper]

"It would indeed." remarked Dalton. The man was currently double checking the gear and supplies to ensure all was in order. "If it were a flier the lack of sightings would suggest it's small.. but an ocean-faring beast could be a great deal larger. It might do most of its hunting deep in the bay."

Casanov bobs his head in agreement. "That part of the bay drops off, you could hide a massive dragon in those waters!" He hands Dalton another bag to study. "I think this one might have a hole in it.. anyway, dragons don't normally grow all that fast though, do they? After the first growth spurt?"

Dalton moves the gear to another bag, poking his finger through the old one to confirm Casanov's suspicions. "That's what we think, yes, but most writings deal more with the slaying than their growth cycle. I suppose I'm not planning on breaking tradition, though, eh?" The man hoists up the last bag and starts walking towards the door. "Time to get going. Everyone grab a bag of supplies, we might need them later. Castor, you planning on bringing that rented boat to the town closest to the isle?"

[Kage]

Kage simply nodded along with the conversation, and grabbed a bag of supplies as he was getting on the boat going to the island with the others. He wasn't keen on fighting a dragon, although he supposed he had seen stranger beasts in his times.

[Castor Phecda]

He nodded, swallowing the piece of fruit in his mouth before speaking. "I don't see why not." He responded. It didn't seem like the group had decided if they would be using his ship for the mission, but at least it would be that much closer to where they were going.

He grabbed one of the bags of supplies from the pile and hoisted it over his shoulder. He would load it onto Dalton's ship before heading to his own to get it ready. No point in switching it over later if they weren't going to use his ship.

[Magikeeper]

OOC: Yep, I think everyone wants to fast forward a bit.

And so the group sets off for the docks! What follows is navel journey so serene one might think they were living through a tourism advert. "Come to Tiburon Bay, where gentle breezes will massage your weary muscles and every day is a holiday".

The boats had an easy time staying close together over the hours at sea, and all are at least within shouting distance by the time they reach the last town before the island.

"Wind was in our favor!" announces Dalton. "We have enough time to stop by the town for a half-hour, listen in on any recent events, although we could just as easily get an early start on the island."

Over the course of the journey Dalton had described some of the more exotic supplies the group had brought with them. Aside from basic medical supplies, rope, torches, etc were a dozen or so balls of compressed powder. The powder was designed to be especially horrid to creatures with keen senses of smell, which Dalton hoped the dragon possessed (although he hoped even more fervently the balls wouldn't be needed this time around). Also among the supplies was a bit of fire-art and storm-art refined oils contained in glass vials, but Dalton likewise hoped they would remain unused.

[Kage]

Kage nodded. "Fresh intelligence on the situation should help. Do you have a contact? Or are we just asking the locals?"

[Magikeeper]

Dalton shakes his head. "I do have an acquaintance that lives in the area, but he's probably out at sea this time of day." The hunter scratches his chin in thought "It's a small town, they don't even have a proper tavern..

[Castor Phecda]

"I'll stay with the ship until you guys get back." He responded to the conversation. It would give him a chance to familiarize himself with the ship they would be taking. He didn't think he could contribute much to a half-hour of talking to locals anyway.

His plan to look over the ship quickly turned into Castor simply staring out at the ocean, contemplating the upcoming mission. He squinted his eyes, trying to see... anything. He really hoped this job was leading him in the right direction. He didn't really have any time to waste.

He knelt down and picked up a handful of stones and began throwing them into the water. His biggest worry about the job was the Dragon. He felt that the group could handle many of the unknowns. But a single Dragon, depending on various factors, could wipe out their entire group without much of a fight. He wondered if the Dragon was out there now, listening to the stones splashing into the water.

This sparked an idea. He knelt down and picked up five palm-sized round stones and pocketed four of them. He held the fifth one in his hand, memorizing its size, shape, texture and weight until it was perfectly imprinted on his mind. He placed this one in a separate pocket and thought about grabbing a few more.

He returned to the ship and went through with looking the ship over before they would be heading out.

OOC: I will be leaving for vacation on Sunday, so I set Castor up to be occupied for a while. If this thread continues at the same speed, I should hopefully be back in time before too much actions starts. I'll have my tablet with me so I'll keep an eye on the thread, but don't hesitate to continue without me. I'll be back on the 22nd. Bye!

[Kage]

Kage nodded in general agreement. After getting ashore, he separated from the others. He tended to have better luck getting information when he wasn't worrying about what others were getting. Once he parted ways, he shifted into his human form. No need in finding out if the island happened to harbor hatred for something, and if they were all shifters he would just shift back. As he walked, he shifted his suit to match the clothing style of the townspeople, keeping his other items covered.

Now trying to blend in, he wandered through the market area. He chatted with the vendors, examined their wares, bought some incidental trinkets, and listened as others spoke around him. When possible, he tried to steer the conversation towards the dragon island and the attacks. Gauging the general reactions of the population to the events and seeing what bits they offered, even if it was pure conjecture. After their extra half hour, he made his way back towards the ship shifting back to his usual appearance as he did. Hopefully, he had heard something useful.