Fred Leaves Corona
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 22054
|
Fred rubbed his neck ruefully. No, better to board the ship and get as far
away from Havnheim(and the dagger-wielding Astra) as humanly possible.
When people found out he had abandoned his Quest he'd be branded an
outcast. If he left the continent altogether, he would be thought missing
in action, and his name would be remembered with honor. He could create a
new alias once he got to Caibu and start completely over. And so, with his pimpin' new Hespanish cuts and attire, he prepared to board the garishly constructed Bloated Seal with a newfound swagger in his step. He thought he must look very suave. When he reached the end of the gangplank he was greeted by a tall Hespaniard, who introduced himself as the Seacaptain Fogeno. He was swarthy looking man, if ever there was one. Fred thought he could vaguely make out barnacles growing underneath his coarse beard. But his lavishly decorated uniform identified him as a respected captain in the Hespanish Armada, whether he smelt of fishwater or no.The bottles of wine promised by the governor were loaded into the cargo holds of the luxurious vessel and within a matter of minutes they were preparing to depart the harbor of Corona. As the anchor was raised and they lazily meandered towards the vast blue expanse of the Aryn, Fred gave one wistful glance back at the white towers of Corona. The sun was waning in the sky, while shadows deepened and night prepared herself to receive the Evening Star. He hoped Astra would be okay. He knew she could handle herself just fine, even though he had deserted her.Fred stood by the captain's side on the poop deck, surveying a stack of maps and navigational sea charts. "By which sea lanes will we be traversing, Captain?" Fred asked, studying the charts as if he even had the foggiest idea of what they meant. "Arrrr," the Seacaptain appropriately replied, a toothy grin creasing his weather-beaten face, "I can tell by the way yer jelly legs wobble and swagger about that yer a landlubber if there ever was one. By the time we reach Caibu you'll be a hardened sailor..."But aren't I going to be sailing in the lap of luxury? Fred thought, admiring the ship. "...the first leg of our voyage will take us to the port o' Siloon on the Isle of Right, off the coast of Allaria. There are booze an' whores a'plenty thar, and we will tarry in it's taverns and brothels as long as we may. Then the voyage gets interesting..." he paused, lighting his pipe with some flint before continuing, "...for we must veer far off the coast and into the endless blue of the Aryn, to avoid the Barrier of the Queens of Aqualaria. Unlucky fer us, these are the spawning waters fer several species of sea serpents, an' we'll be a'sailin' through their waters in the heart of their breeding season. Then, if we don't get thrown asunder by some rogue storm, we will reach the shipping lanes of the Tarel after many lonely weeks. After that, Caibu will be the first landmass we come to, being at the very northern edge of the Bokh'ainer Archipelago. Pirates plague the area..."
|
Ib
11/12/2002 11:46:28 AM
Extending Enabled
21472694 episodes viewed since 9/30/2002 1:22:06 PM.