"I can't believe he is still asleep" said Merill to Genie as they headed for the docks
"It doesn't surprise me one bit" replied Genie
It was a bright, sunny morning in the seaside town. Melissa had stayed behind to wait for Louie at the inn whilst the other two had decided it was best to not waste any time in searching after the previous days failures. It was almost mid day when Louie finally awoke in a daze, his head still a bit fuzzy from the night before. After dressing and heading down stairs he found Melissa sitting at a table in the dining area waiting for him looking severely displeased with the magician's decision to sleep in.
"Finally decided to wake up I see" she said sarcastically
"What time is it?" said Louie still half asleep
"Almost mid day" she replied clearly annoyed with having to wait all morning for Louie
"We should get going" Melissa added just as Louie was about to try defend his actions
As Louie and Melissa finally began their search of the town Merill and Genie were following a lead they found down by the docks. They had heard from several of the captains that a lot of adventurers were seeking passage to a small island just off the coasts of Stratos. The Island was a mystery to many of those in the port town as it was a dangerous place and not many had travelled there willingly. Genie and Merill were not going to let this stop them though. After hearing this they hurried back to the town to find Louie and Melissa and tell them the good news.
"I don't think we are going to find any clues in there Louie" stated Melissa abruptly
"I was only taking a look" replied Louie like a child who has been scolded
"Louie, Melissa" cried Merill through the crowd "We are heading back to the inn, meet us there"
"Ok" Melissa shouted in reply
"I wonder what they found" inquired Louie excitedly
And with that they headed back to the inn. Once everyone had arrived and gathered in the dining area yet again Merill and Genie began to explain about what they had heard about this mysterious island and how the captains had been transporting a lot of adventurers in that direction.
After a quick discussion it was agreed that they too will follow the others and hope to overtake them somewhere on the island. With that they headed upstairs and began to gather their stuff up.
A short while later, whilst Merill, Genie and Melissa were downstairs settling the bill with the landlord, Louie had just about finished his packing when he suddenly remembered the crystal pressing against him in his pocket. In all the excitement of finding a clue he had totally forgotten about it. He removed it to find it was still glowing its golden glow, but not only that, it felt warm to the touch, something he had not noticed before. It was a soothing warmth that he felt happy to have with him. He quickly replaced it in the pocket it resided and headed downstairs to meet the rest of the gang.
After all was cleared with the innkeeper he bid them farewell and safe journey and they were on their way. It took only a few minutes to reach the docks as they had now become familiar with the new town due to their short stay here and constant searching.
The docks were bustling with people carrying crates, bags and even carpets and other various items that you would expect from a typical trading town of this size. After a bit of asking around, Genie eventually found a captain who was sailing out to the island for a small fee. It seemed as though he too was aware of the sudden increase in interest in this island and was hoping to make a small profit out of ferrying people to and fro.
They paid for their passage and within an hour or two were heading for the island. The whole group were nervous and had similar thoughts going through their heads. Thoughts such as what can be expected on this island? Do we have the right equipment? Is Louie going to do something useful for a change?
And with that they sailed, long into the night, until on the horizon there was land…