Sorry this chapter has taken so long to get here. It was taking too
long to write what with a ton of work I have had to do. Also there was an
accident involving the rough draft, a plate of donuts and a log flume
(don't ask). So I decided to cut it short of the whole length of what it
was going to be and to make it into two new chapters. Don't worry this
doesn't mean there will be two short chapters as I intend to put a load of
'new content' for the next chapter and possibly this chapter too. Provided
I can think of some.
Anyway its over to you now please Read, Review and Enjoy.
Jonny 5
Chapter 4: Geriva
Sailing time was now much shorter, with 4 people on board the group could now take shifts sailing without having to stop to sleep. This worked fairly smoothly or would have had Gonzales not insisted on staying awake for Izmaels and Babhams shifts.
A week passed without major event and soon a fairly large landmass could be seen on the horizon.
"Hey I can see land!" exclaimed Gonzales.
"Yup. That there island is Geriva. It was founded by an air pirate, a Blue Rogue that is, for those who wanted just to get away from their hectic lives or similar, to settle down and maybe raise a family. Not many people know about it though, and you will be hard pushed to find it on a map that has not originated from Geriva itself. This unfortunately makes it a hotspot for pirate activity, novices mostly, who want an easy target without much in the way of consequences. Most of them are lying on the bottom of the sea now." Explained Babham
"It should only take a few hours to get there, we ought to sleep for the night until morning," said Pedro "that way we will be able to spend the day there"
"That sounds fine by me, this ok with you two." Asked Gonzales.
"Yup"
"No probs here" answered the pair
The following morning the light of progress set off again towards Geriva. After an hour the entire island was visible to the small crew. The city was large, or at least compared to other towns, but nowhere near as large as the bustling cities of Valua or Nasr. It looked like streets had been added on as it's population grew and its needs with it. There were bridges and walkways linking the main land mass and smaller island around. Most of the smaller islands were farms to provide for the population but there were also other structures on them, such as forges or just plain old seating areas for all the 'cute couples'. The city looked run down but also like a paradise.
Pedro couldn't help but notice something strange about the island.
"I can't see any docks." He exclaimed, "The buildings look weird as well"
"Most of the citizens are here to get away from something, they are not going to want big docks so they can get back to where ever. As for the buildings, I'm afraid I'm just as stumped as you are." Replied Izmael
"So there are docks somewhere then?" asked Gonzales
"Sure are but they're on land"
"On land?"
"Yup"
"What's the point in that?"
"You'll see"
Gonzales set the Light of Progress down in one of the docks towards the centre of the city. Now they were closer it was obvious what they were intended for. All the dock consisted of was a fairly large area enclosed by a wall with a building in one corner they later discovered there were 4 docks linked by a central tower*. There was a wooden, frame I suppose it ought to be called, which had ropes and hinges to allow it to cater to the shape of many different shapes of hull.
Dust was kicked up as the ship descended slowly onto the frame. Several men moved and adjusted the frame, as the ship got closer to the ground. When it had landed they secured it down with ropes, extended a ladder and went back to moving crates in an adjacent dock.
The first thing that about the city that hit Gonzales was the floor**, the second was a disgruntled worker for not providing a tip, and the third was how strange compared to, well every other city Gonzales had ever been to, the buildings were. The walls were made of stone, which in itself is not usual. However the stones were small enough to fit in your hand, rectangular, and small enough to fit in your hand. They were also a strange red colour, and held together with a strange frame of grey rock, which strangely seemed to fit the rectangular rocks perfectly. The roofs were another matter. They were tile like normal buildings, mostly, but also a kind of thatch too filling in the gaps. Some houses looked as if they had decided to start some kind of vegetable patch on their roofs.
From the air the city looked as if it had been made using whatever was handy, but now they were on the ground it looked as if there was some kind of advantage to do it like this.
Gonzales looked at the group. Pedro looked just as confused as Gonzales. Izmael and Babham looked strangely nervous and twitchy.
"Hey, are you ok?"
"Yes, Yes fine" came Izmaels reply (all too quickly for Gonzales' liking)
"No problems here cap'n" added Babham
"Well if you say so. Well then shall we all split up and look for supplies? We'll meet back here at dinnertime" said Gonzales
"Say, erm, would it be ok if Babham and I stayed here to, uh, repair the ship a bit first"
"Oookay then, I guess we'll see ya later"
* My mental picture is that of Mos Eisley Space port from Star Wars ** One of the rungs on the ladder was loose
Jonny 5
Chapter 4: Geriva
Sailing time was now much shorter, with 4 people on board the group could now take shifts sailing without having to stop to sleep. This worked fairly smoothly or would have had Gonzales not insisted on staying awake for Izmaels and Babhams shifts.
A week passed without major event and soon a fairly large landmass could be seen on the horizon.
"Hey I can see land!" exclaimed Gonzales.
"Yup. That there island is Geriva. It was founded by an air pirate, a Blue Rogue that is, for those who wanted just to get away from their hectic lives or similar, to settle down and maybe raise a family. Not many people know about it though, and you will be hard pushed to find it on a map that has not originated from Geriva itself. This unfortunately makes it a hotspot for pirate activity, novices mostly, who want an easy target without much in the way of consequences. Most of them are lying on the bottom of the sea now." Explained Babham
"It should only take a few hours to get there, we ought to sleep for the night until morning," said Pedro "that way we will be able to spend the day there"
"That sounds fine by me, this ok with you two." Asked Gonzales.
"Yup"
"No probs here" answered the pair
The following morning the light of progress set off again towards Geriva. After an hour the entire island was visible to the small crew. The city was large, or at least compared to other towns, but nowhere near as large as the bustling cities of Valua or Nasr. It looked like streets had been added on as it's population grew and its needs with it. There were bridges and walkways linking the main land mass and smaller island around. Most of the smaller islands were farms to provide for the population but there were also other structures on them, such as forges or just plain old seating areas for all the 'cute couples'. The city looked run down but also like a paradise.
Pedro couldn't help but notice something strange about the island.
"I can't see any docks." He exclaimed, "The buildings look weird as well"
"Most of the citizens are here to get away from something, they are not going to want big docks so they can get back to where ever. As for the buildings, I'm afraid I'm just as stumped as you are." Replied Izmael
"So there are docks somewhere then?" asked Gonzales
"Sure are but they're on land"
"On land?"
"Yup"
"What's the point in that?"
"You'll see"
Gonzales set the Light of Progress down in one of the docks towards the centre of the city. Now they were closer it was obvious what they were intended for. All the dock consisted of was a fairly large area enclosed by a wall with a building in one corner they later discovered there were 4 docks linked by a central tower*. There was a wooden, frame I suppose it ought to be called, which had ropes and hinges to allow it to cater to the shape of many different shapes of hull.
Dust was kicked up as the ship descended slowly onto the frame. Several men moved and adjusted the frame, as the ship got closer to the ground. When it had landed they secured it down with ropes, extended a ladder and went back to moving crates in an adjacent dock.
The first thing that about the city that hit Gonzales was the floor**, the second was a disgruntled worker for not providing a tip, and the third was how strange compared to, well every other city Gonzales had ever been to, the buildings were. The walls were made of stone, which in itself is not usual. However the stones were small enough to fit in your hand, rectangular, and small enough to fit in your hand. They were also a strange red colour, and held together with a strange frame of grey rock, which strangely seemed to fit the rectangular rocks perfectly. The roofs were another matter. They were tile like normal buildings, mostly, but also a kind of thatch too filling in the gaps. Some houses looked as if they had decided to start some kind of vegetable patch on their roofs.
From the air the city looked as if it had been made using whatever was handy, but now they were on the ground it looked as if there was some kind of advantage to do it like this.
Gonzales looked at the group. Pedro looked just as confused as Gonzales. Izmael and Babham looked strangely nervous and twitchy.
"Hey, are you ok?"
"Yes, Yes fine" came Izmaels reply (all too quickly for Gonzales' liking)
"No problems here cap'n" added Babham
"Well if you say so. Well then shall we all split up and look for supplies? We'll meet back here at dinnertime" said Gonzales
"Say, erm, would it be ok if Babham and I stayed here to, uh, repair the ship a bit first"
"Oookay then, I guess we'll see ya later"
* My mental picture is that of Mos Eisley Space port from Star Wars ** One of the rungs on the ladder was loose