Msaka strolled across the narrow bridge towards the Adventurer's Guild, glancing thoughtfully out over the crystal clear waters of the Med sea as he did. Most of the city's fishing boats had returned to the docks by this late hour, but a number of them were still out, drifting tranquilly upon the gentle waves. Most of the fishermen seemed to work alone in their small craft, a practice which Msaka considered to be a touch strange. They spent day after day pursuing their trade alone in a sort of self-imposed exile from the city and its people. Clearly, they must have found it a tolerable, even enjoyable lifestyle. Granted, Msaka himself was largely alone in his journey, but that was by necessity, not by choice. The idea of deliberately pursuing isolation from one's own people seemed to be a preposterous one, and even a touch unnerving.

He soon reached the end of the bridge's span, and shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the water. He wasn't about to give into depression, not when he had important work to do. It might be many days yet before he could think of returning home, but he couldn't afford the distraction. He glanced towards the Adventurer's Guild as he passed, then skyward. The sun was just beginning to disappear below the horizon, which meant that the place would still be open for a short time longer. He paused for a few moments, considering whether to venture within, then shook his head and walked on. The minotaur might have proven to be one of the more agreeable individuals living in the city, but there were other things to attend to while the light still lasted.

He rounded the building and passed through the archway behind it, looking out over the wide stretch of waterfront that passed by the docks and led up to the city's east gate. The docks were full of activity. Not only was the day's catch being attended to, but a trade vessel seemed to have arrived within the last hour or so. The centaur weaponsmith was still hard at work in his shop by the market path, the clang of hammer against anvil ringing clearly from the interior of his shop.

Msaka also noted the obese form of the door guard standing next to the front entrance to the tavern on the near side of the same path. He would have had no trouble guessing at the guard's homeland, even if he hadn't been told of the Dead Parrot during his voyage to Silmaria. The fellow was garbed in the manner of the desert folk of Shapier and leaned upon an overly large scimitar, leaving no mystery as to his place of origin.

He'd been given a stern warning about the tavern; while it maintained a respectable enough front, the owner was well known for engaging in business dealings that were both secretive and frequently less than ethical. That was more than sufficient reason to give the place a wide berth; none of the entertainments that it was reputed to offer were tempting enough for him to want to risk getting entangled with the shadier side of Silmarian society.

He strolled onward, heading for the east gate. Despite the dubious feelings that he had about the bizarre-looking Science Island, his curiosity had been growing, and he meant to find out what he could about the place and the people who lived there. While they might be ignorant when it came to magic, they supposedly possessed sophisticated mundane devices that might be useful to him - especially if they possessed anything that would make an underwater expedition easier. He reached the gate without incident, and it was swiftly raised to allow him egress from the city.

Outside of the city, the path that led away from the gate stretched lazily along a short coastal cliff towards a small point of land that jutted out into the bay. It was dominated by a heavy stone dock which supported a briskly spinning windmill on the far side, and which was connected by a series of gears to a small, cubical building. As Msaka strolled down towards the dock, he cast his gaze out over the water once again, this time regarding Science Island with a dubious expression. It towered over the waves atop enormous stilts, and sported a number of ramps, platforms, and odd protrusions. They must have served some function, but Msaka couldn't begin to guess what those uses might have been.

A series of smaller poles rose up from the water on the landward side of the island, collectively holding aloft a cable that stretched from the dock out to the island and back again in a roughly square pattern. A strange conveyance that vaguely resembled a boat was hanging from the cable. The arrangement looked ramshackle enough even without the boat swaying precariously in the stiff sea breeze as it was.

Msaka stepped out onto the dock, noting a sign that was posted on the near side of the building, above a small box-and-lever arrangement. He quickly scanned the text and confirmed his assumption that the lever was intended to operate the rickety cable apparatus. Since the boat was hanging next to the island, he reached down and gave the lever a solid tug, only then realizing that the lever was actually a spear that someone had jammed into the mechanism - although it clearly worked perfectly well as a substitute for the real thing.

The boat began a slow transit along the cable, which squeaked and squealed as it ran through its moorings. Once again, Msaka regarded the arrangement skeptically, wondering if it might not be safer to crawl along the cable itself rather than risk being dumped from the swaying boat, or worse, having the boat itself decide to plunge from its perch. Then again, the island's inhabitants must have been using the contraption to get to and from the mainland, so it had to be more stable than it seemed...

Msaka tugged the lever back again as the ship finally pulled up to the dock, then paced over to the boat, still not entirely convinced that this was the safest way to get across to the island. Nevertheless, it was the only means that he had at his disposal, so he hopped inside and quickly braced himself as the thing shuddered slightly under the impact. Fortunately, it didn't decide to plunge into the water, but it still left him with the problem of how to get it started again - he couldn't reach the lever from inside the boat.

He narrowed his eyes and gazed back at the lever. It was at the right angle for what he had in mind; the only question was whether it was sturdy enough to absorb the impact without breaking. Msaka was no expert in weaponry, but it seemed reasonable that a spear shaft would be fairly durable. He drew upon his power and quickly flung a Force Bolt at the innocent switch. The spell struck it dead-on, slamming the lever back before ricocheting skyward and fading into the heavens.

The boat lurched back into motion, starting back towards the island. Msaka had been prepared for the sudden start, and maintained his balance with little trouble. He remained on guard, though - there was no telling when a gust of wind might come along to make things difficult.

"So far, so good," he thought as he turned his attention to his destination. Still, he found himself facing a growing certainty that this wasn't going to be the only challenge that he would face before his trip to the island was over...